The Rope: A Salvatore War
by MistressSymone
Summary: Damon comes back to Mystic Falls with Katherine on his arm. To stop the destruction they caused, Bonnie does a spell to go back in time and prevent it all, but accidentally sends Elena back to 1864...in Katherine's place. Season 1 off canon.
1. He's Back

The Rope: A Salvatore War

Damon comes back to Mystic Falls with Katherine on his arm. To stop the destruction they caused, Bonnie does a spell to go back in time and prevent it all, but accidentally sends Elena back to 1864 in Katherine's place.

Chapter 1: He's Back

Elena made her way up the Salvatore driveway, gazing in awe at the amazing house before her. She had only known Stefan a few weeks but she found herself really liking him. He was sweet and intense, but he was also mysterious at the same time. She wanted to know more about him but he didn't really share much about himself. Today she decided to stop in and see him, hoping to get to know him better. Elena knocked on the door and waited for the massive door to open.

Stefan opened the door looking serious. "Elena…hi."

She smiled nervously. "Hey, I'm sorry to just drop by like this-" she fiddled with her hands.

Stefan smiled slightly. "No, it's alright…come in." He opened the door wider for her and led her into the extravagant living room. "Is everything okay?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk…I haven't seen you in a couple of days." She stated stepping closer to him. He hadn't been at school and she missed having his presence around her.

"I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "A lot has been going on lately."

Elena frowned in concern. "Is everything okay…do you wanna talk about it?" she asked hoping he would open up to her.

He shook his head. "It's not important." He evaded smoothly. He flashed a grin before continuing. "Listen, I just need to talk to my uncle briefly, can you occupy yourself in here for a few minutes?" she nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back."

He left the room to enter the kitchen and Elena turned around with a deep sigh. Of course he wasn't going to tell her what was going on. She busied herself by drifting over to the mantle over the fireplace. There were pictures of who she assumed was Stefan's uncle with another woman, and a picture of Stefan with another man she didn't know. He was gorgeous! She picked up the frame and her lips quirked into a grin. It was in black and white, and each man had an arm thrown over the others shoulders, smiling brightly. They were wearing period costumes. _Must be from Founder's Day._ She thought to herself.

She turned around when Stefan walked back into the room sighing loudly. "Who is this with you?" she questioned, showing him the picture.

He stared at it unblinking, his jaw tensing, before answering. "That's my brother…Damon." He bit out his name with sourness.

"Hm…" she placed the picture back and sauntered closer to him. "I didn't know you had a brother." She smiled up at him.

Stefan rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Yeah well you'll be meeting him soon enough…he's coming into town tomorrow." He grumbled annoyed.

Elena's brows knitted together noticing the stress he seemed to be under at this knowledge. She snaked her arms around his waist in a comforting gesture. "You don't sound too happy about that."

Stefan gazed at her seriously. "My brother's not a good person. I would be a lot happier if he didn't come back to ruin my life."

Elena couldn't help herself from laughing. "That's a little dramatic don't you think?" she teased him. He sounded like her brother.

"You don't know Damon…"

"Aw…he can't be that bad! Maybe he's just misunderstood." A loud voice exclaimed from the entrance of the living room.

Stefan turned around and glared at the lithe form leaning in the door jab. "I thought you wouldn't be here until tomorrow?"

Damon smirked and pushed himself off the frame. "I lied." He looked around Stefan to catch Elena's eyes, before swinging back to Stefan with a raised brow. "Really?" he swaggered right up to Elena and held out his hand. "I'm Damon…Stefan's older, more interesting brother." He introduced smugly.

Elena placed her hand in his and was surprised when he lifted it to his lips for a kiss. "Elena." She forced out. That one kiss sent a shiver down her entire body.

"A pleasure to meet you Elena." His voice oozed with sex appeal. His startlingly blue eyes stayed locked on hers.

"What are you doing here Damon?" Stefan huffed, crossing his arms. "I thought you and Katherine were roaming the world." He was still mad at his brother for stealing her right from under his nose, and mad at her for not thinking twice about leaving him.

Damon shrugged. "We were…but there's no place like home, right?" he moved towards the mantle and picked up the same picture Elena was looking at. "This is such a cute picture of us Stef! Oh the good old days." He stated overzealously. He carelessly put it back facedown, and waltzed back towards his brother. "So I was thinking…I'd like to have my old room back, if you don't mind." He raised his eyebrows. "Katherine and I would like to make some new memories." He laughed at the revulsion on Stefan's face.

"Katherine's here?" he subtly glanced at Elena, who was looking more than a little confused.

Damon smirked. "Yea! She went out for a _bite_ though." He clapped his hand down hard on Stefan's shoulder. "Well, I'm going to go unpack. So nice to meet you Elena…" he left the room whistling a jaunty tune. "Hey Zack!"

Elena looked at Stefan in puzzlement. "What was that all about?" he didn't answer, he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. "Stefan…are you going to tell me what just happened? Who's Katherine?"

He sighed loudly. "Katherine is…my ex." He admitted.

Elena eyes widened. "And she's with Damon now?" he nodded. "How could he do that to you? Stefan I'm so sorry." She reached out and hugged him. "She's back now?"

Stefan nodded against her. "Yes…Elena I need you to know that I'm over Katherine. It was a long time ago, Damon just likes to throw it in my face every once in a while." He didn't know how he was going to keep them away from each other. He knew Katherine would enjoy messing with him and would probably confront Elena. He needed to tell her…but not now.

"Okay…" She knew there was more than what he was telling her, but she hoped he would tell her in time.

Damon lounged in Stefan's room, reading through his diaries. His feet were kicked up on his desk and he chuckled every so often. He didn't look up when Stefan walked into the room. "Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul in so many-" Stefan speeds over and snatches the journal from his hands. "Adjectives." Damon threw his legs off the desk and stood up. "Let's talk about Elena…what's _that_ about?"

Stefan sighed. "What's what about?" he grumbled putting his journals back in the armoire. He didn't want to talk about this with him.

Damon gave him a look of incredulity. "Um…the fact that she's the human version of Katherine herself. If you want to pretend that she isn't a product of your obsession Stef, then fine who am I to judge." Damon shrugged holding his hands out; he strolled up and looked dead in Stefan's eyes. "But if you think that I'm not going to _torture_ you with this information you're an idiot." His blue eyes held a sparkle of amusement. "So…are you gonna tell her? Or should we just throw Katherine in front of her and let her figure it out herself?"

Stefan got in his older brother's face, glaring at him with a heavy brow. "You keep her away from Elena!"

Damon put on a scared face. "Ooh I'm so scared of your _lack_ to fight me. Still snacking on squirrels, or have you moved up to bunnies now?" he taunted sarcastically. "Please I'm curious…what's going to stop me or Katherine for that matter, from doing _whatever_ we want?" Damon crossed his arms bringing his hand up to his chin.

Stefan stood down but kept his eyes focused on Damon intensely. "What are you doing back here? What is it you want?" he demanded following Damon with his eyes as he roamed around the room.

"Brotherly bonding. I was hoping we could start over, let bygones by bygones, sweep it under the rug, turn a new leaf-" Damon rambled touching the spines of the books with one hand and gesturing vaguely with the other.

"Are you done?" the younger vampire interrupted impatiently.

"Almost…" Damon sped up to Stefan and stopped right in front of him. "Give in Stefan. Give in to the bloodlust…stop _fighting_ it and live it!" Damon pushed adamantly holding his brother's shoulders tightly.

"No. This isn't going to work, I won't do it." Stefan forced himself not to be tempted by Damon's offer. It had been too long since he'd tasted human blood he wasn't going to ruin everything he built now.

Damon shrugged heedlessly. "Oh well…I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way. This could have been fun for you Stef…now it's just going to be fun for us." He winked before speeding out of Stefan's room.

Stefan plopped into his chair and leaned his head back. What was he going to do now? Damon and Kat were up to something…they always had an agenda; what it was he had no idea. The hardest part was keeping Elena away from it all. He had two choices: tell her, and bare the repercussions, or make her stay away.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena regretted not bringing her car. She thought the walk would be nice, and it was on the way here but now the sky had clouded over and it was colder. She looked to her left and frowned curiously when a blue Chevy Camero pulled up slowly.

The window came down and she relaxed a little. "Stefan didn't offer to give you a ride? That's pretty rude of him." He stated feigning concern.

"I wanted to walk…but I wasn't expecting the weather to start getting ugly on me." She replied glancing up at the dark sky.

Damon opened to door for her. "Get in; I'll give you a ride." She seemed hesitant at first but he threw on a charming smile. "I'll be a total gentleman, I promise."

Elena got in the car, and buckled up rubbing her palms on her jeans. She didn't know why but Damon made her feel nervous. Like if she looked at him she wouldn't be able to look away. Elena gave him the directions to her house quietly, as Damon pulled away from the curb.

Damon glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and smirked at her unease. "So, you and Stefan huh?"

Elena nodded. "Yeah…sort of anyway." She added as an afterthought. "We haven't really gotten past the sharing stage yet." She admitted quietly.

Damon chuckled. "Yeah, he's got a lot to share. So I'm assuming he didn't tell you all about Katherine: love of his life?" he baited casually.

Elena frowned in discomfort. She didn't know she was the love of his life. "Not exactly…just that she was his ex and he's over her." Stefan cared about her; she didn't want to worry about this Katherine coming back.

Damon scoffed to himself. "_That_ is a lie." He glanced at her quickly before looking back at the road. "If you saw her you'd understand."

Elena nodded in acceptance. "She's pretty." _Of course she was_. She thought to herself.

"She's _gorgeous_, but that's not what I meant." He emphasized.

Elena huffed. "Well what do you mean?" she asked impatiently, knowing that she wasn't going to like the answer, whatever it may be.

Damon pulled on to her street and into the driveway she pointed out. Damon parked and turned towards her slightly. "Stefan's replacing her with you." He put as much concern and regret as he could into his tone.

Elena shook her head. "That's ridiculous!" she couldn't believe that, she'd be crazy to think that.

Damon raised a brow. "Is it? How well do you know my brother?" Damon stretched his arm out along the top on the bench seat.

"Better than I know you." She shot back, raising her brow in challenge.

Damon shrugged. "True…but the difference between me and Stefan is that I don't lie." He stated honestly. That was what made this whole conversation bittersweet; because he was telling the God's honest truth…well not his God.

"How do I know you're not lying right now?" she asked apprehensively. She had no idea why he was divulging all this information, but she was too curious not to find out.

Damon shrugged again. "I don't have any reason to." He leaned in a little closer, getting her full attention. "Trust me Elena, this _obsession_ Stefan has with you and Katherine is not healthy, so get out while you still can." He loved being the one to plant the seed of doubt. It was so much fun seeing the confusion run rampant on her face.

Elena was quiet for a minute while she took it all in. "Why are you telling me this? Aren't you supposed to be the bad brother?" she teased a little.

Damon smirked; widening his eyes briefly in a way that made Elena's heart beat faster. "Oh I am…but it doesn't mean you need to get caught up in it." He forced a sincere smile. "It was really nice meeting you Elena."

Elena tried not to shiver at the way her name rolled off his tongue…she was dating his brother for God sakes! She nodded. "Thanks for the ride." She threw him a tight smile before opening the door and quickly making her way up to the door.

She called out a hello and ran up to her room intent on writing an entry in her diary. She decided to peek out her window just to see if Damon had left yet, and to her surprise he was still parked in her driveway. There was something about him that screamed at her but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was.

She sighed loudly, and reached behind her horse painting grabbing her journal. She leaned up against her headboard and opened the book to the last entry.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katherine walked around Damon's room wearing nothing but a black lacey bra and matching booty shorts, Damon was taking way to long and she was getting bored. She heard Stefan before she saw him. She turned around uncaring that she was next to naked. "Hello Stefan…" she looked at him from under her lashes.

Stefan couldn't help appraising her for a moment. "Katherine."

She frowned playfully. "Ooh, so formal. After all we've been through?" She sauntered over to him, letting her hips sway seductively.

Stefan crossed his arms over his chest. "After all you've put me through, be happy that I'm not killing you."

Katherine laughed out loud. "You honestly think you could?" She stepped closer to him, running a finger up his chest. "You couldn't and it has nothing to do with me being stronger than you." It amused her that after all time she still had his love even though she didn't return it.

Stefan struggled to not show any emotion. She was right, just the thought of ridding her from this world no matter how much she put him through, made him feel a loneliness he wasn't prepared to face. "Maybe…but it doesn't mean I want you here complicating my life." He explained removing her hand from his chest with much effort.

Katherine smiled brightly. "Sure it does. Admit it, you _love_ that I turn your world upside down; it's what drew you to me in the first place." She used to love how eager he was to please her, how he loved her so dearly that even though she loved his brother more he stuck around. But eventually it got tedious. His love turned into an obsession, one that had her choosing Damon over him in the long run…he was more fun anyway. "You were always so eager to please…I loved that."

"But you didn't love me." Stefan choked out, the pain of her rejection as fresh as it was so many years ago.

Katherine's face showed no emotion at his words. "I didn't…and I told you that, but you continued to follow me around like a lost little puppy…I found an opportunity and I took it." She shrugged offhandedly.

Stefan's face was one of anguish and anger. "You faked your own death! You sentenced twenty six of you're friends to their death to get away from me!" he shouted in her face, his voice strained.

She was unaffected by his pain. "It worked didn't it?" she turned away from him making her way to the window looking out and touching the glass. "But I had other reasons for doing that." She trailed off thoughtfully, bringing herself back to that day and the decision she came to.

Stefan stared at her; her long wavy hair cascading down her back and the way her lace panties hugged her ass. Why couldn't he stop loving her? Stefan closed his eyes, gathering himself. "Why did you leave?"

Katherine glanced at him over her shoulder. "Ah, but the better question is, why did I come back?" she smirked in that sex kitten way that he always loved.

"Why did you come back?" he asked, watching as she roamed around Damon's room.

Katherine raised a finger. "I said it was a better question, not that I would answer it. I would like to know about this Elena though…she seems nice." She commented in a sweet nonchalant tone. She knew she had a doppelganger somewhere and she was just slightly perturbed that Stefan found her first. When Stefan didn't answer her she rolled her eyes up. "Oh come on Stefan you and I both know you're going to tell me anyways so why drag it out?" She cocked her hip to the side and rested her delicate hand on it.

"Please don't involve her in this; she's totally innocent." Stefan pleaded, although knowing that if Katherine wanted something she would do whatever it takes to get it.

Katherine shook her head. "I didn't come here for her…I do find her existence fascinating though, as well as your interest in her." She was amused by his discomfort.

Stefan hated having to answer these questions that she and Damon were asking; it was making his feelings for Elena sound wrong. "Elena is a great person my feelings for her have nothing to do with you." He expressed as strongly as he could muster. Her presence after not seeing her for over a hundred years was undoing him.

Katherine make a face like it all made sense. "Oh, so you're _not_ replacing me for her…God I was under the impression that you were using her as a little sex toy: yours to compel and play with to feed your addiction to me." She rattled off sarcastically with conceited poise. She shrugged. "Do what you want with her, use her for all your dirty fantasies, I don't care…all I ask is that you stay out of our way." She said in a sugary sweet tone. Her eyes drifted from him to the doorway and her smile turned into a sexy smirk. She sped up to Damon who was standing in the doorway, and jumped up wrapping her legs around his waist and smashing her lips to his passionately.

Damon wrapped his arms around her back, his hands making contact with her skin and silky hair. He knew Stefan was watching, probably with the biggest brooding forehead ever. They broke the kiss and Katherine looked and Stefan over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Stefan, does this make you uncomfortable?" she asked with false coyness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Okay first chapter up! I hope you liked the first chapter and I'm sorry but it will be D/K for a little while but there will be Delena moments throughout! Just so you know the moonstone is not relevant in this story so that's not Katherine's goal.

So what do YOU think? Is Stefan really obsessed or are his feelings for Elena real?

Please review and tell me what you think about the story so far.

Vanessa


	2. A Feeling

Chapter 2: A Feeling

Elena closed her locker after school and hefted her bag on her shoulder; she jumped when she say Stefan on the other side. "Oh! God you scared me." She tittered nervously. He always seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

Stefan had the decency to look down bashfully. "Sorry, I should probably start alerting my arrival." He joked with a half smile.

Elena chuckled. "Yeah, that'd be nice." She heard Bonnie call her name as she approached. "Kinda like that." She teased him. "Hey, Bonnie."

"Hey…hi Stefan." She greeted him formally. She felt really uncomfortable around him for some reason.

He smiled kindly. "Hello Bonnie…did you guys need a lift?" Stefan asked courteously.

Bonnie glanced at Elena quickly. "I brought my car."

Elena glanced back at Stefan. "Yeah and I'm going with her…we're cramming for that test." She explained apologetically. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she questioned as she hugged him and kissed his cheek.

Stefan nodded. "Of course." He smiled and gave a wave to Bonnie.

Bonnie smiled tightly and linked her arm with Elena's as they quickly left the hallway. "Whoa, Bon…what's the hurry?" Elena asked as they got outside.

She shook her head. "I don't know, I just get this weird vibe from him." She rushed out, slowly her pace as they approached her car. She got in and threw her bag in the back.

"From Stefan? Why?" Elena asked perplexed.

Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know…it's like a really bad feeling." She shuddered a little. She wasn't sure if she should tell Elena what she learned over the summer from her Grams; she didn't think she would believe her.

Elena looked curiously at her friend. "Is everything okay, Bonnie?"

Bonnie looked up with a scared look on her face. "If I tell you something do you promise to believe me?" She had to tell her. Elena was her best friend, she couldn't keep this contained to her herself and her Grams…plus if her feeling was right than she needed to warn Elena.

"Absolutely…you've really got me worried, what's going on?" she tried to keep herself calm. She didn't want to freak Bonnie out by freaking out herself.

Bonnie sighed, and threw the car into drive, making her way back to her place. "This summer…I spent a lot of time with my Grams." She started hesitantly. "Remember how I told you that I had I had ancestors from Salem?" she glanced at Elena to see her reaction. All she did was nod, waiting for her to continue. "Well…according to Grams they were witches. I mean she told me that before but she was always really drunk." She chuckled.

Elena gave Bonnie a look of awe. "So it's true…you come from a line of witches?"

She smiled and glanced at Elena. "I am a witch." She pulled into her driveway and parked the car. The two of them got out and made their way up the porch. "Grams didn't want me to tell anyone, but I couldn't keep this from you." Elena was silent as she followed Bonnie up to her room, taking in all this information. It made sense; all the funny feelings and the weird coincidences, it all added up. Bonnie let Elena into her room and closed the door behind her. "I wanna show you something." She exclaimed in an excited tone. She hopped onto the bed and grabbed the small fluffy pillow sitting between her bed pillows.

Elena joined her on the bed and sat across from her eager friend. Bonnie used a pen to stab a hole in it before tearing the pillow open and letting the feathers float to the bed. "What are you doing Bonnie?"

"Just watch." Bonnie raised her hands over the feathers and lifted them slowly in the air, bringing the feathers up with her. Soon all the white quills were floating around her room spinning and fluttering lightly.

"Oh my God." Elena breathed out in shock and feeling this excitement for her friend that made her break out in a beaming grin. She looked all around the room before gazing at Bonnie. "This is unbelievable!"

Bonnie slowly brought all the feathers down and smiled at Elena. "I know…I've learned a couple other new tricks too." After a minute she looked seriously at the brunette. "Elena…that feeling that I got from Stefan…it has something to do with me being a witch. Grams said it was a warning." She informed reluctantly. How do you tell your best friend that her new boyfriend is dangerous?

"A warning for what?" Elena asked swallowing hard. Damon words came back to her: _lies…obsession…not healthy._

Bonnie sighed. "Danger…every time I touch him I feel cold, I feel death." She admitted quietly. At Elena wide eyed expression she continued. "I'm sorry Elena…I know you don't want to believe this…"

Elena shook her head. "No, Bonnie I believe you…then what Damon said was true." She mumbled to herself.

"Who's Damon?"

"Stefan's brother…he said Stefan had this obsession with me, that I should get out while I can." It sounded so silly to her. That Stefan would be so obsessed with her in this short amount of time, that he could even be cable of being so dangerous…he was always so calm and reserved and sweet.

Bonnie frowned. "Maybe he's right…Elena what do you really know about him?" she prodded.

Elena shrugged. "Not much…he's pretty private about his life. I know he has a brother, and his uncle's name is Zack. I know about his ex girlfriend Katherine who apparently is the love of his life." She rolled her eyes with the last statement, as she played with a feather.

"That's not really a lot." Bonnie responded. "Maybe you should take a break from him."

"I don't know…I really like him, and maybe he's just guarded that way. Everyone has a past." She defended gently. Elena told herself she'd give it one more chance to find out what Stefan was being so secretive about and if he didn't provide the answers she needed then she would take both Damon and Bonnie's advice and just leave it alone.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next day was a Saturday, and Elena was waiting for Stefan to come over to hang out. She prepared herself for the talk that she was going to try and have with him. About this Katherine.

When Elena heard the doorbell ring she came into the hallway and pulled the door open to find Stefan on the other side. "Hey, come in." They walked into the living room and got comfy on the couch in front of the TV. They chatted for a while about school before Elena changed the subject. "Can you tell me about Katherine?" she asked casually.

Stefan's good mood slowly faded. "Why? I already told you I was over her." He answered shortly. His voice held no emotion, but had an edge to it that put Elena off.

She shrugged and tucked a leg under her as she turned towards him. "I know, but she was a part of your life once…you never tell me about your past." She dropped her eyes to her hands in her lap.

Stefan sighed. "That's because it's my past. I don't like to rehash it." He stated impatiently. Why did everyone want to bring up his past with Katherine? First it was Damon, then Katherine herself, and now Elena. "Why are you so interested in Katherine?" he questioned in a gentler tone than before.

Elena didn't like the way he seemed so aggravated by her question. It wasn't like she was pestering him about it, she was just curious, and his attitude was making her a little nervous. "Well Damon implied-"

Stefan looked at her sharply with a deep frown. "You're talking to Damon now?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"He gave me a ride home yesterday." She explained quietly.

Stefan shook his head. "You should stay away from him, he's dangerous." His voice was firm and held no room for discussion.

Elena was so confused. Damon was dangerous, Stefan was dangerous…she didn't know what to believe anymore. That was such an odd word to use; dangerous…it implied something she wasn't sure if she was ready to explore. "Dangerous?" her confusion turned into anger. "Well at least he opened up more than you do!" She shot back raising her voice. "What is going on Stefan? Why do I feel like I'm missing something?"

He couldn't believe his brother. Planting seeds and words in her head like that, turning her against him. "Nothing, Elena, just drop it!" he bellowed. His eyes turned red around the rim and the skin under his eyes tightened.

Elena's eyes widened in shock. "Whoa, your eyes…are you okay?" she tried to get a better look, but Stefan turned away.

Stefan calmed himself down and stood quickly. "I'm fine. I should go." With out another word he left, leaving Elena sitting there shell shocked. What was going on? What was he hiding and what happened to his face? That wasn't normal was it?

She knew what Bonnie said, but Elena just couldn't give up until she knew what was going on. She was way too curious for her own good. Making her decision Elena jumped up off the couch, grabbed her keys and headed for the door.

Stefan walked to her house so she knew she would make it to the Boarding House before him. She just hoped that it wouldn't be awkward. She made the drive to the Salvatore house a nervous wreck, her hands gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles were white.

She pulled into the driveway and ran up to the door, knowing she didn't have much time. She knocked loudly. Seconds later, Damon opened the door with his black button up undone. He smirked at Elena sexily as he leaned on the door. "You just can't stay away can you?" he teased.

Elena sighed ignoring the comment. "Is Stefan here?" she asked anxiously.

"Just left." Elena frowned in puzzlement. "He went for a run." Damon explained smoothly. He was tempted to tell her he was hunting bunnies, but decided he wanted Elena to stick around a little, and telling her that was sure to send her running. "You shouldn't be here."

Elena chose to overlook what Damon said, he was probably mistaken. He couldn't have just been here if he had just been at her house…he wasn't superman. "I needed to talk to you." She stated off a sigh.

Damon frowned. "Bout what?" He opened the door for her so she wasn't standing out of the stoop. She walked into the living room and Damon followed her, not so subtly checking out her ass. His eyes quickly looked away when she turned around to face him.

"I want you to tell me everything." Elena announced determinately as she crossed her arms.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well that's specific…wanna vague that up for me?" his voice oozed with sarcasm.

"Stefan is being evasive and I know there is something he isn't telling me." She knew that she shouldn't be doing this. She was invading Stefan's privacy by asking his brother to divulge all his secrets, but she needed to be sure she was making the right decision. It didn't once occur to her that she trusted the opinion of a man she knew for two minutes over her supposed boyfriend. "I want to trust him, but he's not making it very easy."

"Come on Damon…tell her what she wants to know." Elena frowned at the voice that sounded a lot like her own.

She turned around and was left in shock for the second time that day. The figure behind her was a spitting image of herself. The only difference was her style of clothes and the curly locks of hair. "What?" Elena breathed out looking at her mirror image with astonishment.

Kat smiled charmingly. "Hello Elena, I'm Katherine. God you are so pretty." She commented conceitedly as she canted her head to the side.

Elena shook her head. "How is this possible?" she glanced at Damon who had an amused grin on his face. "Damon…" she called to him begging for an answer.

"Do you see what I mean now? Do you see how he's using you as a replacement?" he prodded stepping closer to her.

Elena shook her head, bring a hand to her temple. "I don't care about that right now; how do we look exactly alike?" she addressed Katherine. "I don't understand."

"You're my doppelganger; an exact replica of ones self. It's a long story." Kat responded with a wave of her hand. "Maybe you should ask your witch friend to do a little research."

"You know Bonnie?" Elena questioned. _How did she know she was a witch if I, her best friend, only found out yesterday? _"How did you know she was a witch?"

"We know a lot of things." Damon piped up. "The question is…what do you know?" he raised a brow at her. "You wanna know what Stefan's hiding? Why you look like Katherine? Honestly, I don't think you can handle it." He claimed as he walked over to the wet bar and poured himself a drink.

Elena glared at his back. "I can handle it."

Before she could even blink Damon was in front of her an inch away from her face. "Are you sure?"

Elena stumbled back in alarm. "H-how did you do that?"

Damon shrugged before taking a sip of his drink. "Just a perk to what I am." He sauntered closer to her as she continued to move away from him. "What we are…still this you can handle it?"

Elena put on a brave face, and stood her ground, looking between him and Katherine. God…she was the curious cat that was about to get killed. "Yes." Katherine sped to her, and Elena held her breath as she started into her own eyes. Katherine's eyes turned red before her and veins popped under them. Elena couldn't believe her eyes. When her double opened her mouth, Elena saw the sharp teeth descend from her gums.

It was all making sense now. Bonnie's warning of death, Stefan's constant popping up out of nowhere, the way he was so closed off and secretive about his past…the way his eyes changed when he got mad at her today. "You're vampires…" she whispered in shock.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Sooo Elena knows now! How does she handle it, and what comes next? Stay tuned to find out. Thank you for all your reviews! I love them!

Vanessa


	3. Something

Chapter 3: Something

Elena was scared. More scared than she'd ever been in her life. She was in a room with two deadly vampires and apparently she was dating one too! But her mind told her to relax, because if these vampires, _God that felt weird to say even in my head_, were planning on killing she was sure they would have done it by now.

She was sitting on the couch in the living room with Damon and Katherine sitting across from her staring at her with dual smirks. Damon had his arm thrown over her shoulder and Katherine had her legs hooked over one of his thighs.

Elena swallowed nervously. "I still don't understand how we look exactly alike."

Katherine rolled her eyes up. "We're family…I'm your ancestor." She replied shortly. She wasn't in the mood to answer all these questions. Although it was fun to completely flip this girl's world upside down…and she knew Stefan wouldn't like this one bit.

"How old are you?" She continued to inquire.

"Old enough are you done?" she snapped rudely.

"Oh come on Kat…the girl's got questions, why don't you answer them?" When she glared at him he smiled cheekily and answered for her. "She's over 500 but she looks good doesn't she?" Elena got lost in her own thoughts and Damon's words interrupted. "I'm sorry Elena…is this too much? Can you not _handle it_?" he taunted mercilessly.

For some reason Damon's challenge made her mad. She was going to handle this…she could accept this _major_ change in her life, and not run scared like he expected her to. "It just throws me that's all." She explained. "So this is the big secret Stefan's been keeping." She expressed to herself in shock.

"Actually he's a gay cross-dresser from San Francisco…" Damon piped up sarcastically. "Of course this is his secret, although I wouldn't be surprised." He smirked Katherine giggled wickedly.

Elena watched the two of them warily from her spot across from them. "What do you want with me?" she couldn't help but stare at Katherine; searching for any differences between them. There were none…except for her eyes. They held no light, no emotion…just darkness.

Katherine raised a brow. "Why do you automatically _assume_ that this is about you?" Her dark eyes stared Elena down. "You're the one hunting for answers."

A bolt of bravery shot through Elena. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared back. "And the fact that you're my double is just a coincidence?" she shot back with attitude.

Katherine raised her index finger in the air. "Ah, you are _my _double…I came first." She corrected pointing back to herself.

"And it's not a coincidence." Damon started. "It's Stefan's twisted way of having Katherine back; or a version of her anyway." His icy blue eyes pierced right through her, his next words drawled like he was talking to a child. "Do you believe me now?"

Elena closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the couch. "I'm starting to." She mumbled a little sarcastically. Things were starting to fit together slowly. The feeling Bonnie got about Stefan, how fast he was coming to pick her up, the way he would speak like he was wise beyond his years…the way the cut on his hand healed so quickly after that fight with Tyler. And Stefan…what did he want with her? Was he pretending she was Katherine? Was he going to make her a vampire? All these questions she had running through her head.

Elena was not a believer, but how could she ignore what was right in front of her? Elena opened her eyes. She knew she shouldn't ask, but her mouth wouldn't listen. "What are you guys doing here? Why Mystic Falls?" She swallowed waiting for a bad reaction.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "You ask _a lot_ of questions." She ground out annoyed. _Why wasn't this girl running scared yet?_

Damon rubbed her thigh soothingly. "Just for some old fashion fun. This was our home once…and tormenting Stefan is just a bonus." He smirked devilishly before his eyes widened in faux excitement. "Oh, here's Saint Stefan now…" he exclaimed as Stefan barged through the door loudly after seeing Elena's car parked in the driveway.

"Damon! Where is she? What did-" he cut himself off seeing Elena sitting across from the vampire couple. "Elena what are you doing here?" he calmed his voice as much as he could, trying to appear as if he wasn't in a blind pain two seconds ago.

Katherine smiled sweetly at him. "Oh we're just chatting; your girl here had some pretty interesting questions."

Stefan sighed deeply. Elena's face was frightened and heart broken and tears were forming in her eyes. "Elena, I can explain-"

She shook her head. "I already know everything Stefan." She whispered around the lump in her throat. "I know what you are, what they are…" she jerked her head at Damon and Katherine. "I know that I'm her doppelganger…and that you were just using me to replace her!" she cried.

Stefan came down the steps into the living room. "Elena…" he didn't know what to say.

Damon chuckled. "I don't think you can talk you're way out of this one, brother." He wished there was popcorn. He and Kat were watching a show play out before their eyes.

Elena stood up and grabbed her purse quickly. "I should go." She rushed past Stefan. "I need to process all of this." She felt like the walls were caving in on her, and her mind just couldn't hold all this information. Stefan sped to the door and blocked her from leaving, his face a mask of determination and desperation. "Please let me go, Stefan." She breathed out shakily. He was scaring her. She'd never seen him like this before.

"Give me a chance to explain." he begged, grasping her arms tightly.

Elena turned her head away from him. "I can't….not now. You're hurting me." She whimpered.

"Elena!" He yelled with impatience, giving her a quick shake.

She struggled as hard as she could but he was so strong. "Stefan! You're scaring me, please let me go." She sobbed now, frightened for her life.

Stefan stared hard at her for a second before he realized what he was doing. His mouth dropped open in shock at his actions, and he let go of her. Elena hastily pulled the door open and ran down to her car. Stefan's face was blank. Did he just hurt Elena? Did he just scare her off?

A two pairs of clapping hands sounded from the living room. And Stefan walked somberly into the room to grab a drink. "Well…you handled that _swimmingly_." Damon's voice drawled. He was still lounging on the couch with Katherine's legs crossed over his lap.

Stefan glared at him as he walked past them. "Shut up, Damon." He bit out angrily. He made a lot of noise as he poured a drink.

Katherine delicately brought her feet to the hardwood, her knee high boots clicking on the floor, and sat up. "Ooh, I think he's mad, I hope he doesn't growl at me." She stated with a dramatic pout. She stood and held out her hand to Damon. "Let's go Damon…I'm hungry." Together they left the Boarding House and Stefan alone to drown in his misery.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena ran up the porch and rapped quickly on the door. Tears stained her cheek and her hands were shaking. She was losing it…the calm she thought she had earlier was gone and was replaced with fear. She chalked it up to being in shock and now everything was hitting her hard. "Come on." She mumbled to herself.

Bonnie opened the door and frowned in concern. "Elena…are you okay?"

Elena looked at her friend pleadingly. "I know why!" she exclaimed. "The feeling you had about Stefan, about death…it's true!" Her chest heaved with the amount of energy she was using to get this out.

Bonnie looked confused. "You're not making sense, slow down. Come inside." She ushered Elena inside and into the living room. Luckily no one was home today. Bonnie sat next to Elena on the couch, holding her hand comfortingly.

Elena took a deep breath and let it out. "Stefan's a vampire." She stated calmly. "And so are Damon and Katherine."

Bonnie gazed at Elena wide-eyed; she had a feeling he wasn't human. "Who's Katherine?"

Elena spent the next while explaining to Bonnie everything that happened today. She told her about Katherine and how she was her doppelganger, and how Stefan was using her as a replacement…and finally how Stefan reacted to her trying to leave. Elena relayed all the things she noticed about him that she couldn't explain before.

"Wow…that makes a lot of sense now." She mumbled to herself. "Elena…I'm so sorry, are you okay?" she asked concerned.

Elena nodded. "What am I gonna do Bonnie? What did I just walk into?" Elena buried her face in her hands.

Bonnie rubbed her back. "Something you need to walk away from." She stated firmly. "This is dangerous Elena; you don't know what they're capable of."

Elena wiped the tears from her face. "I know…but you should have seen Stefan, he looked crazy…how am I supposed to act like nothing happened at school?" Elena was so confused. She knew she should stay away from all of them, but Damon didn't give her any reason to be afraid of him. If Katherine and Damon wanted to kill her they would have, and he had even given her the advice to stay away.

"Maybe you should take a couple days off…just to be safe." Bonnie suggested rationally.

Elena nodded. "Yeah…I'll just tell Jenna I'm sick or something." The two of them sat there quietly talking about what Elena just went through. Bonnie sat there listening again and gently putting her two cents in. She didn't know much about vampires, just the little information her Grams told her, but she vowed to find out more.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later than night Elena walked up the stairs to her room. She told Jenna that she wasn't feeling good and she was just going to lie down. Exhausted, she sighed and flicked on the light barely containing a scream when she saw a figure sitting on her bed. "Stefan…" she breathed out in fear staying as far away from him as possible.

Stefan raised his head to look at her; his face was full of distress. "Elena, I'm so sorry." He tried.

Elena shook her head quickly. "Y-you shouldn't be here." She stuttered. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her entire body was tense.

Stefan stood and started walking towards her, stopping when she backed away. "I didn't mean to scare you…I just wanted you to listen. I'm so sorry." He apologized sincerely.

Elena sighed and tried to control her nerves. "I think I know everything that matters."

Stefan shook his head. "I wanted to tell you…but I knew you would never believe me. I'm over Katherine I promise." He begged. He knew he was lying but he just couldn't stand it if she left him.

Elena shook her head, feeling a little braver than before. "How can you say that? How can you be with me and not think of her…how can you tell me that _she _isn't the reason you wanted to be with me in the first place?" she was shaking. Tears collected in her eyes as she saw the sadness in his eyes. He was silent…he couldn't tell her different because he did see Katherine in her. "You can't even answer me can you?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry…I was drawn to you because of her, yes." He bowed his head in shame. "But as I got to know you-"

Elena raised a hand. "That's all I needed to know." She crossed her arms over her chest. "You need to leave now." She declared strongly. She waited as Stefan nodded sadly, and looked at her one last time before disappearing out the window. Elena sighed in relief and quickly changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed.

Today was too long of a day for her. She learned way too much and had know idea how to deal with it. She pulled out her diary from behind a picture frame and opened it to the last entry page; pulling out her pen, she starting writing.

_Dear diary,_

_My boyfriend is a vampire. I've never been a believer in the supernatural but I can't ignore the facts. I knew Stefan was hiding something from me, he was always so mysterious about his past, and his family, but I never would have thought that this would be it. _

_And to top it off he's still in love with his ex, who just so happens to look exactly like me. I'm a doppelganger; and exact replica of ones self…how is that possible? I don't know…what I do know is that I was his replacement. A cheap carbon copy of a woman he's still obsessed about. An obsession is what Damon called it, I didn't believe him at first, but it all adds up. I wish I could go back to before I met Stefan, and take Damon's advice to stay away-_

Elena stopped writing when she heard a tap on her window. She clutched her journal to her chest. "Go away Stefan." She mumbled knowing that he could hear her…_did vampire's have super hearing?_

Damon popped his head in. "Wrong brother." He smirked devilishly.

Elena sighed in relief. _I guess so._ She would much rather deal with Damon than Stefan. Elena flung the blankets off her and walked to the window. "Damon…I thought you were Stefan again." She sat on the sill, pulling her knees up.

Damon frowned. "He was here…let me guess he tried to apologize for being such an ass…did he brood?" he joked, his lips quirking to the side when she smiled.

"Yup." She nodded. "But I sent him on his way after he couldn't tell me that Katherine wasn't the only reason he was with me." She replied somberly, resting her chin on her knees.

Damon leaned a little on the frame. "See I told you he was an idiot."

Elena frowned. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I was bored. Katherine and I had a lover's quarrel." He stated dramatically. "I decided to leave before she threw me at a wall or something." He said seriously. When they fought they got pretty violent, and with Katherine being stronger than him, he was usually the one worse for wear.

"Oh…well." Elena stood up. "You should come inside…we're letting all the heat out." She walked back to her bed, and tucked her journal under her mattress.

Damon looked at her in shock before stepping over the threshold. Why was she so calm and easy going around him? He was a vampire…she should be afraid, but if he was going to admit it to himself…he didn't mind. "You shouldn't have done that you know." He strolled into the room, looking at all her belongings.

"Done what?"

"A vampire can't enter a house unless invited in." he explained casually, running his fingers along the spines of her books.

"Oh…well that would have been nice to know." She said sarcastically before shrugging. "But, you won't hurt me."

Damon looked at her sharply. "Why do you say that?"

"Because if you wanted to hurt me you would have already…instead of touching my stuff, looking at my pictures," she continued watching him pull a picture off her mirror. "Going through my underwear drawer!" She jumped out of bed and yanked the white lacey bra from his hands, putting it back in the dresser and slamming it closed. "Damon! Totally inappropriate!"

Damon smirked down at her red face. "That was sexy…_please_ tell me you have the matching thong?" he teased.

"You're disgusting." She grumbled, pushing him away from her dresser. When he was far enough away Elena sat cross legged on her bed again. Damon was silent for a while, while he continued to study her room.

"You shouldn't trust me…if you know what's good for you." He added as an afterthought.

"Why?" she asked him. The question she was really asking was 'why do I feel so comfortable around you?'

Damon scoffed as if it was obvious. "Because I'm a vampire that could snap you neck before you could blink."

"But you won't." she affirmed confidently.

Damon didn't know why but he couldn't counter that. Although he loved the kill, he really had no reason to kill her. I mean he could if he really wanted to make Stefan suffer, but he found her open trust to him intriguing. "Maybe not now." He mustered up, just to make himself feel better.

Elena watched him curiously. There was something about him, something that made her feel safe around him…vulnerability in him that he tucked away, it flashed in his eyes before disappearing. "What happened with you and Katherine?"

Damon looked at her in disbelief. Was she really asking about his problems with Kat? He noticed that she seemed to genuinely care about what he was going to say…this slip of a girl had way too much heart for her own good. "You really wanna know?" she nodded. "We fight all the time. You spend a hundred and forty five years with someone you find a lot of faults." He admitted, plopping down on the window sill.

"Why are you still with her then?" she asked curiously. "That's a long time to put up with someone."

Damon chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, especially when you don't love them anymore." He glanced at her quickly before turning away. It was weird telling these things to a woman that looked exactly like the woman in question. "The sex is amazing…" he smirked when she looked a little uncomfortable. "And I like the company." He added. "Traveling the world's no fun if you do it alone." Something about Elena made him feel like he could talk, open up about things he usually kept buried deep. Something in her akin to friendship…something he desperately wanted but lacked.

Damon didn't know how, but he found himself sitting across from Elena on her bed, an hour later telling her the story of him Katherine and Stefan. He played with Elena's stuffed animal as he spoke, and Elena listened intently.

"Stefan was taken with her instantly…she was beautiful." He glanced up at her and saw her blush a little. "And she liked him too…but then I got home from the war, and Kat just couldn't choose. She played with both of us, stringing us along, making us fall in love with her. Stefan became so attached that he demanded she cut me loose, but she couldn't…she loved me." He explained.

Elena nodded thinking she was finally understanding things. "So she cut Stefan loose?"

Damon laughed. "No…Katherine is a spoiled little bitch. If she wants something, she will make damn sure she gets it, and what she wanted was both of us…one big happy." He stated sarcastically. "Stefan didn't know what she was for the longest time. It wasn't until she started feeding him her blood that he found out." He saw confused and mildly contained disgust on Elena's face. "She was going to turn us…to do that she needed to feed us her blood…then we have to die." He continued. "Stefan was so scared she had to compel him not to be afraid of her." He chortled a little.

"Compel?"

"It's a vampire parlor trick, a sort of mind control. But I knew…I knew the whole time what she was." Damon said quietly. "I wasn't afraid, I embraced it…I wanted to turn so I could be with her…forever."

Elena saw a bitter sadness in his eyes as he said those words. Why, when he ended up with the girl in the end? "But you did, didn't you?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah…and it was _just_ like I'd thought it would be." Sarcasm dripped off each word. "Katherine...she's not the woman I fell in love with all those years ago. Spending an eternity with an evil soul-sucking, manipulative bitch can do wonders for you're ego." He commented hollowly, before meeting Elena's eyes. They held sympathy, and compassion. Something he was not used to seeing out of the chocolate brown orbs he'd been looking into for the past hundred and forty five years.

A/N: sorry for the late update, I hope you like this chapter, please review and let me know what you think! More information about how it all began will come soon in future chapters…remember that things didn't pan out the way they did in the show!

Vanessa


	4. Who's Next?

Chapter 4: Who's Next?

Damon walked through the door of the Boarding House the next morning feeling confused. He had just spent most of the night at Elena's and the rest of it walking around trying to figure out why he went there in the first place.

Elena was like Katherine…the Katherine he used to love, the beautiful woman that stole his heart and held his love in her hands. Now Katherine just continuously manipulated and toyed with him until she got her way, which she always did.

He walked past Stefan who was brooding in the living room as usual and straight up to his room. He peeled his jacket off and tossed it on a chair, and kicked off his boots before face planting into the bed.

"Where'd you go last night?" Katherine's voice questioned from behind him. "You missed out on make up sex." She quickly flipped him onto his back, and straddled his hips. She was wearing nothing but his black button up John Varvato's shirt and a white thong.

Damon ran his hand through the loose wavy locks that fell like a curtain from her head. "Ooh, you didn't have it without me, did you?" he smirked.

Katherine leaned down and nipped and his neck playfully. "I tried, but it got boring. The guy had no idea what he was doing." Damon leaned up to capture her lips but found himself pushed back into the mattress by her hand. "Where were you?" she demanded.

"Out." He replied shortly. Katherine arched a brow dangerously. "Fighting with you always makes me hungry." He explained.

"Liar." She sat up looking down at him. "You were visiting the girl weren't you? I can smell her all over you." She grumbled as she got off him and sped to the other end of the room where her clothes were and pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans.

Damon sat up and leaned on his elbows. "I got an invite." He grinned when her head popped up to look at him in surprise.

Katherine removed Damon's shirt from her body, and replaced it with a deep purple sleeveless blouse. "Really…just like that? Did you compel her?" she asked as she sat down and zipped up her knee high black leather boots.

Damon got off the bed and stood in front of her. "Didn't have to…she let me in willingly."

Katherine smiled deviously. "So she trusts you?" She stood slowly and ran her hands up his chest.

Damon nodded. "More than she should." His voice was lacking the excitement he would usually be feeling at this admission, but Kat didn't seem to notice.

"Perfect!" Kat wound her arms around his neck and played with the soft hairs there. "Now all I need you to do is get me that journal and we're golden." She placed a sweet kiss on his lips before pulling away and leaving the room.

Damon waited until she was downstairs before making his way to his dresser. He opened the top drawer and dug in the back for a mahogany box with gold trim and intricate designs. The name Graciella Salvatore was carved in delicate cursive. He opened it and pulled out the thin silver chain with a locket dangling from it. He made sure not to touch it. It was his mother's, a gift from his father to protect her from vampires. He stared at it long and hard debating whether he was going to put it back or not. He quickly slipped it into a silk pouch and shoved it in his jean pocket.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bonnie walked up the steps to Elena's house. She wanted to see how she was handling everything, and tell her about the things her Gram was teaching her. She walked right in like she always does and into the kitchen where Jeremy and Elena were eating breakfast. "Hey guys." She plopped her bag down on the chair beside her and sat down. She gave Elena a look. "How are things?" her tone of voice implied she was talking seriously. Jeremy didn't seem to notice.

Elena nodded. "Fine…I'm dealing." She admitted giving Bonnie a smile that said that she wasn't in danger. Bonnie sighed in relief.

"Dealing with what?" Jeremy asked, biting into a piece of toast.

"She broke up with Stefan." Bonnie quickly told him. "We were going to have a little girl talk." She smiled brightly.

Jeremy nodded. "Got it…that's you telling me to go somewhere that's 'else, right?" he stood and put his empty plate in the sink. "I'll be upstairs." He quickly left the room, and Bonnie immediately pulled her chair closer to Elena's.

"So, everything is okay?" she asked again in concern.

Elena nodded. "Yeah…I mean Stefan came by last night trying to apologize but I think he got the picture…I haven't heard from him since." She sipped her coffee slowly.

"What about this Damon guy and Katherine? Have they tried anything?"

"No…I don't think we have to worry about Damon." Elena claimed munching on her toast.

Bonnie looked at her wide-eyed. "What? Elena he's a vampire."

"I know…but he's been nothing but nice to me." She caught Bonnie's eyes and explained further. "Damon told me everything about vampires and everything about him and Stefan and Katherine." She whispered. "He was so open with me, Bonnie…I feel like I can trust him."

Bonnie shook her head. "You can't trust a vampire Elena…they lie to get what they want." She argued firmly. Bonnie couldn't believe her friend…sometimes she was too naive and trusting for her own good.

Elena frowned and stood putting her empty plate in the sink. "Why would he lie about his story? What good does that do him?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes behind Elena's back. "Because he _wants_ you to trust him! He's bad news."

Elena turned back to her friend. "You don't even know him."

"Neither do you! Elena, think about this…he's not being nice to you because he wants to be you're friend, he wants something else and you're falling for it!" Bonnie exploded jumping out of her seat. Both of their heads turned to the entry when a rhythmic knock resounded on the door.

"I'll be right back." Elena went to get the door, and smiled when Damon was on the other side. "Hey…" she stepped aside and led him into the house and back into the kitchen. Bonnie stared at him for a while, before Elena's voice shook her out of her reverie. "Bonnie…this is Damon…Damon this is Bonnie." Elena earned a glare from her friend.

Damon smiled pleasantly. "Nice to meet you, Bonnie." _The witch _he thought to himself. _This outta be good._ He held out his hand for her to shake.

Bonnie stared at his hand then back at him and cautious placed her hand in his. Her Grams told her touching someone will warn you of any real danger. She pulled her hand away quickly and looked at him with wide eyes. She wasn't expecting to see that. She was expecting a darkness; blood and gore and death like she saw in Stefan…but this was different. She felt an emptiness coming from him, a longing…for love. "Nice to meet you too." Bonnie looked away. "I have to go, bye Elena." With that said Bonnie grabbed her bag and rushed out the door and to her car.

Damon blinked watching her go then turned back to Elena. "What was that about?"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know…she's been acting different since she found out she was a witch." Damon followed her into the living room and sat down on the couch beside her. "So did everything work out okay with you and Katherine?" she asked pulling her knees up to her chest.

Damon lounged back against the couch. "Yeah…she can't stay mad at me for too long." Damon lolled his head to the side and saw the distress on her face. "You…okay?" he asked uncomfortably.

Elena shrugged. "I guess I'm still trying to understand this whole vampire thing. There are still some things that aren't clear." She explained quietly.

"You know your ancestor Jonathan Gilbert kept a journal…the guy was obsessed with vampires." Elena threw him a puzzled glance. "He was on the Council in 1864…that just happened to be a big year for me." He joked, smirking slyly.

"How did you know I was a Gilbert? I never told you that." She claimed suspiciously.

"It was proudly displayed on a certificate in you room. 'Elena Gilbert: Honor Roll six semesters in a row'." He declared grandly using his hands to gesture.

Elena ducked her head a little, and gave him a half smile. "Yeah that was before my parents died…now I'm lucky if I get a passing grade." She mumbled, resting her head on her knees. "Losing them made everything else seem less important." She glanced up at him. "I guess you know what it's like."

Damon did know what it was like…he knew what it was like to watch everyone you've ever loved die around you, but he didn't show it. "My mom died when I was a kid and it sucked." He told her in a flippant tone. "But my dad was a dick…I still dance on his grave." He grinned, when it got a small smile out of her.

Why was he doing this? Why was he here, talking with Elena as if they were friends? Was it because she looked like Katherine and he felt comfortable around her, or was it because she actually seemed to care? He didn't know…and he wasn't going to drive himself crazy thinking about it.

"So what are you doing here? Was there something you needed to tell me?" she asked breaking through his thoughts.

"Uh, no not really…just wanted to make sure that Stefan wasn't bothering you again. Trust me as his older brother I know what a pain in the ass he can be." He teased.

Elena smiled tightly. "I haven't seen him…and he hasn't called me."

Damon stood. "Good." He stuffed his hands in his pocket and felt the silk bag. He fingered it gently, weighing his options. "Give me your phone." Elena reached into her back pocket and cautiously handed it to him. He made quick work of adding his cell number. "If Stefan comes back you call me…I'll kick his ass for ya." He winked before tossing it back to her.

Elena grinned. What was wrong with her…why couldn't she take Bonnie's advice and stay away? What was weird was that her ex boyfriend's brother was protecting her from said ex boyfriend…and even weirder, she was totally okay with it. It helped that Damon was smokin hot and made her feel totally comfortable. And apparently she was his type…although having a little crush on a guy that's been in a relationship for over a century with a woman that could kill you in two seconds flat probably wasn't a good idea.

Elena nodded. "Will do." She watching Damon leave thinking to herself, _he can't be that bad of a non person…_ She got off the couch and moved to the closet where Jenna said all off her dad's family history clippings and books were.

She was interested in these journals Damon was talking about…maybe they would give her some answers.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon walked through the town after leaving Elena's. What was he playing at with Elena…why was he putting himself in this position? He liked her company…and her if he was being honest. Damon didn't like anybody, but for some reason he liked her.

"Did you get it?" Katherine's heels clicked as she fell in step beside him. He was used to her sneak way of popping up from nowhere.

Damon glanced at her. "Noo…I didn't know where it was." He replied in snarky tone.

Katherine sighed dramatically. "Damon…" she sung out. "You're disappointing me." She stopped walking when Damon did.

Damon turned to her, carefully masking the anger he felt towards her. "I'll get it…" he bit out. "I'll just make her find it for me first." He smirked as Kat stepped closer to him seductively.

She walked her fingers up his abs. "My smart boy." She gazed at him lustfully from under her lashes. "There's a party tonight in the woods…it sounds promising. What do you say you and I make an appearance?" she suggested cocking her head to the side.

Damon ran a hand along her chocolate tresses. "I can never say no to a party."

Katherine closed her eyes, loving how he was always touching her. She would never get sick of it. "Mmm…I'm gonna do a little shopping, maybe find something you can take off later." Her eyes twinkled with excitement. "You wanna come?"

Damon's eyes widened. He hated shopping and Katherine would shop for hours. Well if you called compelling the store clerk into giving her anything she wanted free of charge, plus the perk of getting waited on hand and foot. "To that an emphatic 'no'." Kat laughed knowing he wouldn't come anyways. "I'm gonna dig up a witch or two."

"You do that." She leaned up and kissed him ardently. "And I will see you later." She strolled off down the street towards the shops.

It wasn't long after that he spotted Bonnie leaving the Grill. He caught up and fell in step beside her as she walked to her car.

"Damon." She greeted shortly, speeding up her pace.

"Bonnie." He replied in the same tone.

She glanced at him quickly. "I know what you are."

"And I know what you are, I like this game, this is fun!" he exclaimed with a grin.

Bonnie huffed. "What ever it is you want from me, I'm not doing it…especially for a vampire." She was glad she was nearing her car.

Damon stepped in front of her blocking her from the car door. "Ah but you forget the part where I don't give you a choice." He got right in Bonnie's face looking down at her menacingly. "Now listen here you little witch, I need a spell and I need _you_ to do it." He poked her in the chest gently to drive his point home.

Bonnie kept a brave face, tightening her jaw. "You forget the part where I don't care." She shot back. "Now move."

Damon chuckled to himself. "Or what?"

The witch glared hard at him focusing her energy on him. She watched as he started clutching his head and dropped to the ground groaning in pain. Bonnie used this time to step around him and get in her car. "That's what." She said before closing the door and quickly driving off.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was an hour of so before he was to meet up with Katherine for the party, and he found himself in front of Elena's again. It was like he was drawn here like a moth to the flame.

He didn't even bother knocking sensing others in the house. He entered through her bedroom window and waited for her, sitting on her bed and holding the necklace in his hand.

Elena walked in and jumped a little. "Oh…" she calmed herself and stepped further into the room. "Two visits in one day…now who's the one who can't stay away?" she joked reiterating the words he once said to her.

Damon scoffed to himself. He really couldn't say away. "I really shouldn't be doing this." He mumbled looking down at the ground.

Elena frowned and tilted her head to the side, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Doing what?"

Damon stood and held up the necklace for her. "Here…" he slipped it over her head carefully. "Never take it off; it contains vervain." He declared strongly.

"What's that?" Elena looked down at the locket and fingered it gently.

"It's a herb, smells pretty…also it's toxic to vampires." He explained flippantly, as if it was no big deal. He put some distance between them and leaned against her dresser.

Elena smiled. "Thank you…but why are you giving it to me? Isn't that against some vampire code?" she kidded with a small smirk.

"It'll protect you from compulsion; Stefan's probably already used it on you…too much can turn your brain to mush." His voice was even and monotone which was unusual for him.

Elena stepped closer, looking at him curiously. "Why _are_ you doing this?" Sure he was nice enough to her, but protecting her from his own kind…that was what confused her.

Damon closed the distance between them and stared deeply into her eyes. "Because last night you treated me like a friend…" he paused trying to find the words. "And I don't have any of those." His voice was soft and quiet and if he wasn't so close she wouldn't have heard him.

Elena found herself lost in his blue orbs, but forced herself to speak after a second. "So it's a 'thank you'?" she asked never tearing her eyes from his.

Damon frowned. "Yeah…I don't say that word…or the one meaning to apologize." He joked with a serious face.

Elena raised a brow. "'Sorry'?"

Damon pointed a long finger at her. "That's the one. Never. Take it. Off." He demanded with emphasis on each word. He shot her a smile before blurring out her window.

Elena blinked in surprise, and turned to look out the window. "So weird." She breathed to herself before touching the necklace again. The ringing of her phone made her jump a little with the vibration. "Hey Caroline."

"Hey, Elena…please tell me you're coming to the party tonight." She exclaimed.

Elena frowned. "What party?"

"Seriously? The one in the woods by the lake? You know…where it usually is?" Caroline's words were filled with sarcasm.

"Uh…" Elena collapsed on her bed. "No I don't think so…just gonna stay home. Not really in the party mood." She explained. "Maybe I can convince Jer to watch a movie with me or something." She chuckled.

"He's going too. Everyone is going, Elena…even the nobodies are going." She replied snobbishly.

Elena laughed. "Well I guess I'm less than a nobody." She wasn't bothered by Caroline's words, you get used to it when you've been friends for twelve years.

"You know I didn't mean it like that. But okay you don't want to come that's fine I'll just party enough for the two of us." She giggled.

"You do that Care…call me if you're too partied out to function and need a ride." Elena replied reliably.

"Mmk! I'll call you later."

After they hung up the phone Elena popped her head into Jeremy's room from the bathroom. "Hey…"

Jeremy was jamming to his head phones on his bed, and pulled one off his ear. "What's up?"

Elena shoved her hands in her back pockets. "Are you going to that party tonight by the lake?"

Jeremy gave her a little smirk. "Yeah…I'm meeting my friends there later." He was about to put the head phone back on.

"Wait!" Elena stopped him. "You're not drinking are you?"

"No, I'm going to go to a party where everyone else is drinking and I'm going to sit there and drink a diet coke." Jeremy responded sarcastically.

Elena stared at him sternly crossing her arms. "You need to stop doing this…it's not making this any better." She knew Jeremy was still having a hard time after losing their parents, hell, so was she but she was handling it in a non-alcoholic and drug free way.

Jeremy put his head phone back on and started scrolling through his ipod. Knowing she lost that one she rolled her eyes and went back into her room.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The sun had set and the party had started. People were everywhere. There was a huge bonfire spurred on by wooden pallets, teens drinking and hooking up, and music blaring. It was like a buffet…for Damon and Katherine.

Once at the entrance of the woods, the couple split up. It was easier to lure in the prey when you were alone. Katherine darted to the other side of the woods and spotted a perfect candidate. He was kinda cute, bulky probably a football player. She cocked her head to the side, and smirked. "Think I'm gonna have fun with this one." She came out of the woods and approached the small group of guys.

Damon walked straight into the party and immediately grabbed himself a bottle of whiskey, it wasn't his usual scotch but it would do. He unscrewed the cap and took four big gulps. He was so confused…and drinking wasn't going to solve the problem but it was making him feel better.

He was sure Katherine was having the time of her life, all these juicy teens at her disposal, but yet Damon looked around and found himself unenthused. _Friends._ That word rung in his head like a God damn gong all day. These people had friends…and until last night he never understood the meaning of a friend. He studied them and watched them interact as he emptied the liquid in the bottle.

Damon wandered into the woods, the near empty bottle hanging loosely in his hand. He sat and leaned against a tree resting his head on the trunk. He heard voices in the distance heading towards him. A small group of two girls and three guys ran past him giggling but one girl stopped and looked at him curiously.

"Hey…are you okay?" She asked walking towards him slowly.

"I'm lost." He mumbled unmoving.

"You're in the woods?" she replied as a question.

Damon lolled his head towards her. "Not that kind of lost. Metaphorically…existentially."

She pulled out her phone. "Do you need help?"

Damon scoffed. "Well yes…can you _help_ me?" he raised the bottle to his lips and finished the rest.

"You're drunk." She put her phone away.

"No," Damon dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Well yes…a little maybe." She started to back away. "No please don't leave, I really _do_ need help." He got up and sped after her blocking her path. "Don't move." He compelled.

She was shaking. "I don't want any trouble."

Damon laughed sadly. "Neither do I…but that's all I got is trouble." He whispered staring at her frightened face.

"Why can't I move?"

Damon placed his hands on her shoulders, bending slightly to look in her eyes. "What's your name?" He didn't know why he asked. He never asked their names before, but for some reason he was curious.

"Jessica." She cried her voice wobbling and her tears streaming down her cheeks.

Damon smiled tightly. "Jessica…I have a secret. I have a big one. But I've never said it out loud." He vented his face full of emotions. His walls were down, they haven't been down in over a hundred years, and now was the time they chose to drop on him. "I mean- what's the point?" he dropped his hands from her shoulders. "It's not gonna change anything, it's not gonna make me _good_, adopt a _puppy_!" he expelled gesturing with his arms. He stepped closer lowering his voice. "I can't be what she wants me to be." His face turned sad, and defeated. "This is who I am Jessica."

Jessica sobbed; her eyes wide and scared. "Are you going to hurt me?"

Damon looked at her honestly. "I'm not sure." He blinked pulling himself together. He placed his hands on either side of her face. "Because you are my existential crisis: do I kill you or do I not kill you?" he explained staring at her neck.

"Please don't." she begged.

"But I have to Jessica." Damon's voice broke a little. "Because I'm not human, and I miss it…I miss it more than anything in the world!" he hollered, his eyes glassy with unshed tears and veins protruding from his neck. "That is my secret…but there's only s-so much hurt a man can take." He whispered painfully.

"Please, please don't." she cried helplessly closing her eyes briefly.

Damon took a deep breath and swallowed as he placed his hands on her shoulders again. He looked at her hard waiting until she opened her eyes. "Okay…you're free to go." He released her of his compulsion and Jessica sighed in relief, quickly running away.

Damon turned back to look and her and changed his mind. He had to…he was better at being a monster. He was after her in a blur, snagging her from behind and slamming her into a tree. His face changed quickly before he viciously sunk his teeth into her neck. Once she was drained he dropped her body and cleaned his mouth before heading back to the party.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: HAD to use that scene…I thought it was the best scene ever and just love love love it! Anyhoo…sorry for the late update, it's pretty long though so enjoy. Thank you for all your reviews I loved them! hope you like this chapter too


	5. Who Are You?

A/N: I know it's not too long but I wanted it to end here…a good start for the next chapter I think! I'm so glad you guys like this story, and I know you guys are wondering about the sequel to **The Burden They Bare**, and I'm working on it but right now I'm dedicating my time to this story.

**DUPED: **I also wanted to address that I was a little upset that they tricked us with the previews for the last episode of TVD! That part where Rose says it's okay to love them both…where was that! So upset, but I loved the scene with Damon and Rose in the meadow and loved Damon's scene at the end it was epic and made me cry all three times I watched it haha. Anyways enough rambling from me; on with the story!

Vanessa xox

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 5: Who Are You?

Katherine stood by the lake watching Damon drop another body after feeding, and moving them strategically to show the vicious attacks they made. She was pretty sure her goal was fulfilled. Make a scene to draw out the Council…then kill them all one by one. She would make this town hers again.

This was surely a scene. Twelve bodies.

"Let's go." She said impatiently tilting her head to the side. "This is getting tedious…although I do like watching those beautiful muscles at work." She winked hotly.

Damon strutted up to her. "I'd much rather be putting them to work in a more pleasurable way." He ran a finger down her neck and between her breasts.

"Oh? Well then we best be on that." She replied before darting back to the boarding house. Damon smirked darkly before following her.

The door slammed behind Damon when he entered his house. He already saw Katherine dart upstairs. "Stefan!" he called as he walked through the living room to the stairs. "You might wanna get out it's about to get real loud in here!" he yelled chuckling at himself. Damon heard his brother groan before the front door closed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Two Hours Later:

Elena flipped through the channels on her TV in boredom. Jeremy was gone and Jenna was at a work party. She stopped on the news and frowned at the chaos that seemed to be going on in the background.

"Terrifying news today from Mystic Lake: twelve bodies were found drained of blood and mauled. Authorities are stating that this is an animal attack and for teens to keep out of the woods. Melissa Cartwright is at the scene, Melissa."

"Thank you Janet. I'm at Mystic Lake where _twelve_ bodies were found only an hour ago. It seems this was a teen party gone horribly wrong." The woman continued to ramble but Elena was already up out of her seat and calling Jeremy.

The phone rang and rang and rang. "Come on." She cried to herself before hanging up and trying again. When it continued to ring she hung up again and called Caroline.

"Elena." She sobbed.

"Caroline are you okay? What happened?" she asked pacing her living room.

All she heard was sirens and crying for a minute. "I-I was going for a walk a-and I found them- they were just laying there dead! And their necks…oh my God!" Caroline continued to sob.

Elena's eyes widened. "Caroline did you need me to pick you up?" she asked grabbing her keys and heading for the door.

"No, my mom's here." She replied.

"Do you know where Jeremy is…" she questioned hesitantly.

"He left a long time ago with Vicki."

Elena ran out the door and hopped into her car. "He's not answering his phone…call me if you hear from them." Elena's heart was pounding as she drove through town looking out from Jeremy on her way to the house.

When she sped into the driveway she ran up the stepped and didn't even bother knocking, she just burst through the door. "Damon!" she hollered slamming the door hard and glaring at him as he poured himself a drink by the fire. "Damon how could you?" she screamed tears streaming down her face.

He smirked a little sipping his bourbon. "How could I do what? Wait let me guess…how could I forget your birthday?" he looked up thoughtfully. "No, that's not it-" he quipped sarcastically.

Elena stomped towards couch, staring down at him angrily. "The party in the woods! Tell me you had nothing to do with that!" she cried pleadingly. It was the only explanation she could come up with; she knew it was a vampire attack she just hoped it wasn't Damon.

Damon looked at her deadpanned. "I had nothing to do with that."

"This is not a joke, Damon! People are dead!" she exclaimed trying to catch her breath. She couldn't believe the nonchalance of his words…it was like he was a completely different person.

Damon smirked. "I know…I ate them." He stood and walked around her to pour another drink.

Elena turned around to stare at his back in horror. "How could you do that?" she asked breathlessly.

Damon raised a finger and glanced at her over his shoulder. "First of all I wasn't the only one, Kat had her fill too." He turned around to face her again and drank half of his glass. "And second; I don't know if you understand the definition of _vampire_, we drink blood to survive! It's in our nature." He concluded unaffected by Elena's disappointment and tears.

Elena glared hard. "You didn't have to kill them." she claimed quietly.

Damon opened his arms. "But that's the fun part." He told her with a dark, sinister smile.

Elena shook her head. "Who are you?" She didn't feel safe with this person; this cold, ruthless, unabashed being before her. She cautiously took a step back.

In a blur Damon was in front of her, only an inch away from her face. "I'm Damon Salvatore…I'm the proverbial monster in the closet, the thing your parents warn you about." He taunted quietly his eyes boring deeply into hers. "I can snap your neck before you can blink, and wouldn't even think twice."

Elena let out a shuddering breath, but kept her eyes locked on his. "Why are you doing this? I trusted you." Her voice was wobbly and dry from the rapid breaths she took.

Damon narrowed his gaze. "That was you're first mistake. Now leave before I get hungry." He bit out, angry at himself for contradicting himself. He _could_ snap her neck, but he just gave her an out.

Elena stared at him wide eyed for another few seconds before quickly fleeing the house. Damon rolled his eyes and threw the glass at the wall. He should have killed her…he should have been rid of her so the cacophony of emotions would be gone as well and he could continue on with his life as usual. But no, he had to let her go and torture himself further.

He collapsed on the couch and covered his eyes with an arm. No she was not going to affect him like this…she was _human_ for God sakes! He was not going to let a human have a hold over him like this. He quickly got up and decided he needed a run to blow off some steam.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena rushed home and ran into her house and locking the door behind her. She panted heavily still incredibly freaked out by tonight's events. She leaned against the door and nearly jumped when Jeremy came out of the kitchen looking concerned. "Jeremy!" she called out in relief, running towards him and wrapping her arms around him.

He hugged her back tightly. "I'm okay…I wasn't even there when it happened." He explained soothingly rubbing her back.

"I know." She cried. "I was just so worried." She pulled away and smiled at him. "I'm so glad you're okay, I don't even know what I'd do…" she trailed off wiping her eyes. "Jenna home?"

Jeremy nodded. "Uh yeah, she's sleeping…she came home as soon as she heard. Where were you?" he asked walking into the living room.

Elena followed him. "I was looking for you." She supplied. She was half telling the truth, she looked out for him on the way to see Damon. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and pulled it out. In all the craziness that was going on, Elena didn't notice the numerous missed calls and text messages. All from Stefan.

_Where are you?_

_Please talk to me…_

_Elena I need you, please answer me! _

_What do you want me to do? I'll do anything…please. You're all I can think about, I need to have you in my life, please don't shut me out. _

_I miss you…you're my everything._

When Elena read that text her eyes widened in surprise. She'd only been with him for a month tops and she was _his everything_? This was getting way too much; Damon and Katherine killing the town's teens and Stefan getting creeper stalker guy on her…it was overwhelming.

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked reading her face.

She shook her head. "Nothing…just Stefan." She explained shortly.

Jeremy frowned. "I thought you broke up."

"Yeah…we did. I just don't think he's letting me go." Elena sighed heavily. "I'm tired Jer…it's been a long night." She got up and hugged him before saying goodnight and going to bed.

She changed her clothes and removed her make up and then climbed into her bed, tucking herself under the covers. She didn't feel safe anymore. Damon was killing people and Stefan was freaking her out, and both vampires had an all access pass to her house. Elena flipped the covers off and quickly closed her window, locked it, and pulled her blinds down. It wouldn't help though, she knew if either one of them wanted inside a measly lock wouldn't stop them.

Elena crawled back into bed and pulled the covers up high, trying to push the images of Damon killing a bunch of people out of her mind. Sleep did not come easy that night.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon stood outside her house staring up at her window. He was successful in pushing her away…he was sure of it. The more she hated him the better, it was so much easier to be hated then to be liked, and he was really good at making people hate him.

But a part of him felt like he lost something tonight besides his humanity…he lost a friend. Something he never had before. With a sigh, he left to go back to the woman that looked so much like her…but yet was so different.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena sat on Bonnie's bed watching her gather items and arranging them on the floor. It was a week and a half later and things had only been getting worse. Logan, Jenna's ex, was dead, and so was the Mayor. The 'animal attacks' were adding up and slowly breaking everyone around her. If that wasn't enough, Elena found herself dodging Stefan on a regular basis: at school, at the Grill, even at her own home.

That's when she came to the conclusion that she was safer at Bonnie's. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously when Bonnie pulled out a big ancient, leather bound book and sat on the floor opening it in front of her.

Bonnie looked up. "I have an idea to fix this, but I need your help." She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for.

Elena got off the bed and sat across from her. "What did you have in mind?" she glanced at all the items in front of her. Candles, crystallized sand and a pocket watch.

Bonnie lit the candles. "My Grams gave me this." She nodded her head to the book in front of her. "It has spells that have been past down to each generation. I found a reversal spell; it's going to send them back to before they came to Mystic Falls…I'm going to manipulate their past to steer them away from here." Bonnie stated confidently.

Elena looked uncertain, but yet amazed. "You can do that?" She was happy her friend was embracing her powers, but she wasn't an experienced witch yet, and she was hoping she that she knew what she was doing.

Bonnie smiled. "Grams has been teaching me a lot. Here give me you hands." She reached her hands out and Elena took them hesitantly. "Come on, relax! What could possibly happen?" Bonnie took a deep breath and read the Latin incantation. The flame grew high, illuminating the room.

Elena heard Bonnie muttering under her breath as she released her hands and grabbed a handful of sand from a pouch. She let the sand slip from her palm over the flame, which turned green on contact. Elena felt lightheaded; it was when she realized that Bonnie was drawing out her energy in order to feed the spell.

The witch picked up the pocket watch and flipped it open, still chanting and holding one of Elena's hands. She held it over the now green flame and both watched as it started spinning. Faster and faster while the hands on the watch spinning counter-clockwise. It lasted only a minute before the watch stopped all movement. Both girls were staring at it panting completely silent.

All of a sudden a gust of wind that came from nowhere in particular blew them apart and across the room. Bonnie flew back and out her bedroom door into the hallway and Elena into the back wall.

Bonnie groaned, taking a minute to get to her hands and knees before dragging herself back into the room. "Elena?" she peeked around her bed to where she assumed she flew too but was shocked to see nothing. "Lena?" she called again but there was no answer. "Oh shit…" she grumbled.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

All Elena could see was darkness, and all she could feel was a constant jostling. She could vaguely hear someone speaking but she couldn't be sure what they were saying. Why was it so dark? Oh duh, cause her eyes were closed. With a little effort Elena hesitantly opened her eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the bright light.

"…therine? Miss we're here." The soft voice penetrated her mind.

"Where is here?" she questioned turning towards the voice.

The face smiled. "The Salvatore Boarding House."

That got her attention. Elena sat up straighter and looked around her. She was sitting in a carriage…a carriage! Why was she in a carriage? She looked across from her and saw the curious face of a black woman. She looked outside and saw the wide open fields and gravel roads. She looked down and saw the elegant puffy dress and corset she was wearing and panicked.

"Miss. Katherine…are you alright?"

Elena's head shot up in surprise. Katherine was… "Oh no…"

A/N: Aand there you go! Hope you liked it please review. I know there wasn't a lot of Delena in this chapter but it will happen soon. So Elena is in Katherine's place now…how is she going to handle this and how will she react when she meets the brothers? Will she change the past like Bonnie intended…or will she make the same choices Katherine did? I don't know, do you? Lol

Vanessa xox


	6. No More

Chapter 6: No More

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 1864

_All Elena could see was darkness, and all she could feel was a constant jostling. She could vaguely hear someone speaking but she couldn't be sure what they were saying. Why was it so dark? Oh duh, cause her eyes were closed. With a little effort Elena hesitantly opened her eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the bright light. _

"…_therine? Miss we're here." The soft voice penetrated her mind. _

"_Where is here?" she questioned turning towards the voice._

_The face smiled. "The Salvatore Boarding House."_

_That got her attention. Elena sat up straighter and looked around her. She was sitting in a carriage…a carriage! Why was she in a carriage? She looked across from her and saw the curious face of a black woman. She looked outside and saw the wide open fields and gravel roads. She looked down and saw the elegant puffy dress and corset she was wearing and panicked. _

"_Miss. Katherine…are you alright?" _

_Elena's head shot up in surprise. Katherine was… "Oh no…"_

Emily's brow furrowed in concern. "Is there something wrong?"

Elena shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Yeah-uh no, I mean…I'm fine." The carriage slowed and she looked out the window to see the Boarding house. It looked pristine just as it usually does; only it seemed to fit more in this time…whatever that was.

Clearly Bonnie made a mistake and fudged the spell; she knew she wasn't ready for this. Famous last words: _What could possibly happen?_ Getting thrown back in time in Katherine's place…that's what could possibly happen!

Elena collected herself. She needed to adjust quickly and play along if she didn't want anyone to get suspicious of her. She took a deep breath and prepared herself.

The carriage doors opened and Emily stepped out first. Elena picked up her skirts preying not to trip over them and stepped carefully out of the carriage. She looked up from under her hat, and saw Stefan; his hair was longer, his clothes were different and he was smiling. There was no trace of the furrowed brow she was used to seeing on his face. His hands were clasped behind his back in a well mannered way.

There was a man beside him also with his hand clasped behind his back, who she assumed was his father. They looked alike both sharing vibrant green eyes and light brown hair. "Welcome Miss. Pierce. It's such a pleasure to have you here." He greeted with a warm smiled.

Elena smiled back kindly. "Thank you Mr. Salvatore." She watched as Emily and a couple others heaved her bags out of the carriage and waited behind her.

Giuseppe gestured to Stefan with one hand. "I'd like to introduce you to my son Stefan; I'm sure he'd be glad to show you to your room." He suggested.

Stefan smiled gratefully. "I would love to." He held out his arm for her to take and Elena link her arm with his as they walked inside. Emily and the others followed up behind them to her room.

As they walked through the entrance and through the living room, Elena studied the house that was so familiar to her yet, totally different. She remembered being in this house but it everything inside it was different. The antique tables and armoires, the gold trimmed picture frames and old fashioned couches and chairs. Elena let her hand run up the railing as they made their way upstairs. "You have a beautiful home."

Stefan looked back at her. "This is the Boarding House…the Salvatore manor is up the road further." He led her down the hallway and stopped at a door. "Your room Miss. Pierce."

Elena hated the formality…especially since it wasn't even her name. "You can call me…Katherine." She had to hold back the cringe as she said the name. It was best not to change any of the past yet. She hadn't even figured out what she was going to do to get out of this, but she knew the best thing to do was play along until she could go back to her own time.

Stefan beamed at her. "A beautiful name." he commented. He ducked his head shyly before continuing. "Once you get settled I'd be happy to show you around." He offered.

Elena nodded. "That sounds nice, thank you Stefan." She entered her room with Emily following with her bags and glanced around the extravagant space. There was a large vanity with a mirror, a bed bigger than hers at home and a wide window with a sill. It was amazing. Emily got to work on filling the closet with Katherine's dresses as Elena took off her hat and tossed it on the bed before walking to the window. The backyard was rich with the vibrant greens of the gardens and a pristinely trimmed maze. Elena could see the Salvatore manor just behind it; it was white and elegant, surrounded by rose bushes and vines.

"Shall I lay you out a dress for dinner?" Emily asked.

Elena turned around quickly, having been startled by the question. She forgot she wasn't alone. "Yes." She replied. The thought of eating caused a wave of hunger to spread its way through her body. She felt like every hair on her body stood up. "I'm starving." She whispered to herself.

"Then feed." Emily suggested as she placed an emerald green dress on the bed, studded around the neckline with small pearls.

Elena's head shot up. This woman knew she was a vampire…or that Katherine was. Which raised a new question…if she was in Katherine's place did that mean she was a vampire? She stared at a spot on the floor as her thoughts took over.

"_She seems wonderful."_

"_Miss. Pierce is of extremely high status, Stefan…it would be quite beneficial to have her here."_

"_Money is the last thing I think of when I look at her."_

Elena frowned. She could hear them talking downstairs! No, this was impossible, how could she possibly be a vampire?

"Miss?" she probed waiting for an answer.

Elena's teary eyes landed on her. "I-I can't. I don't know how." She whimpered hopelessly.

Emily's eyes narrowed in curiosity. "You aren't Katherine are you?" she asked hesitantly.

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head no. "My name is Elena." She whispered.

Realization crossed over Emily's face. "You're the doppelganger. But how?"

Elena wiped her tears. "I'm not from this time…my friend Bonnie she's a witch she sent me here…it was an accident." She tried to explain. She hoped she didn't relay too much information; she didn't want to scare the girl.

"A witch…a Bennett?"

Elena looked surprised. "How did you know?"

Emily smiled. "Only a Bennett witch can conduct a spell that powerful. I would know."

Elena's eyes widened. "You're a witch? Can you help me get home?" she asked eagerly, stepping closer to her.

Emily shook her head. "Only the witch that sent you here can bring you back."

Elena sighed in defeat and threw herself on the bed. "This sucks. How am I supposed to go around pretending to be Katherine until Bonnie figures out a way to bring me back? I don't even know how to be a vampire let alone be _her._" She vented covering her eyes with her arms.

Emily sat on the edge of the bed. "I will help you as much as I can. You're bloodlust is disciplined so Katherine's control must have been transferred to you." Elena lifted her body and shifted uncomfortably in her corset. Emily nodded to her necklace. "That necklace…it protects you from the sun, so do not remove it for any reason." She continued.

Elena looked down at her neck and noticed it was different from the one Damon gave her. The chain was long and thin and the gem, she noticed was similar to the one Damon wore, dangled from the end and was tucked into the top of her dress. "What about…you know…when I get hungry?" she questioned awkwardly.

"I will make sure you get fed…" she replied looking down at her lap. She stood and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Elena called out. "What was your name?"

She smiled. "Emily Bennett." She nodded once and walked out of the room leaving Elena to her thoughts.

Elena looked down at the dress on the bed, and ran her hand over the soft silk of the fabric. She wasn't sure how she would pull it off, but she would continue to parade around as Katherine…if her time travel facts were right, she couldn't make too many changes in order to not alter the past. Part of her knew that that was the intention of Bonnie's spell, but the decision she was facing was not one she was ready to make.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After Emily helped Elena into her dress, with trouble, she sat with Stefan and Giuseppe for dinner. She pulled every Jane Austen movie she'd even seen to the forefront of her mind and tried her best to emulate a lady in the 19th century. She came to realize it was kinda fun. Dinner went without a hitch; although she had to bullshit through a lot of the topics.

After dinner, they all sat in the parlor.

Stefan stood and held out a hand to her. "Shall I take you on the tour of the grounds now?" he offered.

Elena placed her hand in his and nodded. She let him lead her out to the back gardens and they took a small stroll around the house's path with Emily trailing behind.

"So will you be attending the Founder's Day Ball?" he asked glancing at her shyly.

Elena raised her brows. "A ball?"

Stefan nodded. "It will be the first Founder's Day ball Mystic Falls has ever seen." He explained excitedly. He was hoping he could ask her. She was beautiful, but this was only her first day here, he didn't want to scare her off.

Elena batted her eyes coyly. "Well then I must attend." She returned. She tried to keep the giggle back; she always thought the speech people from this time used would be fun.

They made their way around to the front of the house again. Stefan beamed at her. "I would love if…Damon is back." he commented happily. He raised a hand in greeting to the man dressed in uniform sitting on a rock before the gardens.

Elena followed his gaze. "From where?"

"The war…I would like you to meet him. Brother!" he called out as they approached. Damon stood and the two brothers hugged.

"Stefan…" he greeted. "And a lovely lady." He held out a hand expectantly. Elena realized this and offered hers. Damon kissed the back of her hand while his eyes stayed trained on hers. "I'm Damon."

Elena stared at him in a slight daze. "El…K-Katherine." She quickly corrected herself. What was wrong with her…one look in his eyes and she forgets who she's supposed to be?

Damon smirked a little. "Well Katherine it is a true pleasure to meet you."

Elena blinked then smiled kindly. "And you as well."

Damon glanced at his brother, and saw the small huff if annoyance. "Why don't we all go inside, and you can tell us what brings you to Mystic Falls. God knows I would not come here unless I had to." He joked, relishing in the giggle that came out of Katherine.

He wasn't that much different, Elena concluded. Damon still kept his sarcastic humor and it made her feel a little at ease…like something from home to make her comfortable. The three of them leisurely walked back into the house with Emily following them.

It would be improper for a lady to be alone with an unmarried man without a chaperone.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 2010

Stefan knocked on Elena's door. He was sick of her ignoring his phone calls and his texts; he needed to talk to her and plead his case. When the door opened and Jeremy stood on the other side, he sighed in annoyance. "Hi, is Elena home?"

Jeremy frowned deeply. "No…I thought you guys broke up?" he asked defensively.

Stefan forced a tight smile. "We did…but we're working it out." He lied hoping to get an answer to where he could find Elena.

"Oh, she's staying at Bonnie's." he replied.

With that said Stefan nodded once and took off towards the witches' house. With his vampire speed he got there in a few minutes. He ran up the steps and knocked loudly on the door.

After a short wait the door opened. Sheila glared at him with cold eyes. "You're not welcome here."

Stefan ignored her comment. "I'm looking for Elena."

"She's not here." Sheila shot back placing a hand on her hip. She looked him up and down feeling his agitation radiating off of him.

Stefan forced a bitter snicker. "I know she is so can you send her out?" he continued to prod. His question sounded more like a demand with the arrogant inflection in his voice.

Sheila crossed her arms. "She isn't, and even if she was I wouldn't send her into the arms of a vampire." She bit out heatedly.

Stefan shook his head and gave her a small smile. He gave off this cool persona and spoke to her like she was a child that didn't comprehend him. "No you don't understand…I'm her boyfriend." He nodded.

The witch raised a brow. "That's not how she tells it. Leave now before I make you." She threatened darkly.

Stefan stepped closer. "Listen I just-Ughh!" Stefan clutched his head and dropped to his knees howling in pain.

"You don't want to mess with me." Sheila glared down at him. "Stay away from Bonnie and Elena." She stepped back inside and slammed the door behind her walking into the living room.

Bonnie looked up as her grandma entered. "Thanks Grams." She said quietly as she sat on the couch her legs pulled close to her body.

Sheila nodded. "Where is Elena?"

Bonnie dropped her gaze to the pocket watch still clutched in her hand. "I…I don't know."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon walked into the Boarding House later that night a little peeved. He couldn't find Katherine anywhere. He tried the Grill and the bars and anywhere else he thought Katherine may have hunted but he came home empty handed. "Katherine! Kat?" he called out.

"She's not here." Stefan said coming into the entry from the kitchen.

Damon blinked. "Well where is she?"

Stefan frowned deeply. "I don't know…she just vanished." He walked past him into the parlor.

Damon looked at him incredulity. "She _vanished_?" he followed his brother and watched him plop himself onto the couch. "Stefan are you snacking on crack heads again…I told you, they fuck with your head." He said half seriously as he poured a drink for himself.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Damon."

Damon came around and stood in front of him. "So am I! It's not a fun trip trust me, I tried it in the 80's." He took a sip of his scotch.

Stefan ignored his brother. "She disappeared…right before my eyes." He seemed shocked by this. He had tried not to thing about it all day being so determined to find Elena, but with Damon bringing it up now he was hit with worry and anxiousness.

Damon didn't seem to be taking it as hard. He shook his head. "Well where did she _disappear_ to then?" his words still dripping with mockery.

"I told you I don't know!" Stefan yelled at his brother his face changing slightly before sliding back into his usual guise.

Damon threw his hands up. "Chill bro…I'm the eternal boyfriend, why are you so upset?" he questioned with a chuckle, taking a long sip of his drink.

Stefan shook his head in irritancy, dropping it into his hands. "I can't find Elena…and Bonnie's grandma made my head explode." He admitted sullenly.

Damon smirked and sat down across from him. "I know what _that_ feels like, and Elena's been avoiding you btw…that means by the way." He added as an afterthought.

Stefan lifted his head. "No she's not avoiding me…she just needs a little more time that's all." He assured himself.

Damon scoffed. "God, just how far down the river of Denial have you sunk to? She's definitely avoiding you…she thinks you're creepy." He added with a stage whisper. "I think you caught her off guard with all your late night stakeouts and creepy text messages." Stefan locked his eyes on Damon's sharply. Damon's eyes widened. "Oooh, you didn't think I knew about that did ya? You left your phone out…like I wasn't going to take advantage of that."

"We hit a rough patch…it's not over." Stefan continued standing and walking up the stairs.

""Don't be a fool Stefan!" Damon called out. He rolled his eyes…maybe he should take his own words to heart. No more thinking about Elena…no more thinking about what he couldn't have. When Katherine came back from wherever she was he was going to take her and leave this town behind him and be the monster she turned him into. No more inner debates with himself, no more confusion…no more Elena.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Thank you guys so much for all your reviews and encouragement, I love it! Sorry for the lack of Delena in this chapter but the next chapter is dedicated to it. I have most of it written out and I think you will like it. We're going to party like its 1864! Haha How did everyone like tonight's episode of TVD? Totally shocked by Caroline getting shot in the face like that, and loved both the shower and bubble bath scenes. How cute was it to see Bonnie and Jer spending all that time together…see ya Luka! Lol anyways I hope you liked this chapter let me know what you think, if you have question feel free to ask!

Vanessa

If you're interested add me on **twitter**, I tend to tweet about **TVD** and funny little hashtags about the show: **LadyloveSymone** or find me with my email: **vanessasymone()hotmail(.)com** minus the brackets.


	7. Choices and Decisions

Chapter 7: Choices and Decisions

Mystic Falls 1864

Elena braced herself on the vanity as Emily tugged on her corset. "I really...hate wearing these…things." She gasped on every tug.

Emily smiled at her threw the mirror. "The price we pay for beauty." She continued with lacing it up and fixed her under-dress.

Elena adjusted the corset uncomfortably. "I hope Bonnie gets me out of here soon…I miss my jeans and converse." She pouted. It had already been two days, and Elena was still stuck here.

"Converse?" the witch frowned strangely.

"Shoes…way more comfortable than these." She pointed at her feet.

Emily pulled a dress out of the closet; it was lavender and sat slightly off the shoulder, and proceeded to help Elena into the dress. "Have you decided who will escort you to the ball? Both Salvatore brothers seem eager to take you." She teased with a knowing smile. She never teased Katherine like this, she didn't receive it well.

The brunette rolled her eyes, and sat at the vanity fixing her hair. "I know…the truth is shouldn't go with either of them…they're not on my good side…not in my time anyway." She added afterwards. She was aware that she couldn't hold them accountable for something they haven't done yet…but still felt a little mad at them.

"They are vampires in your time?" Emily asked cautiously.

"Yeah."

"You were sent here to prevent that?" she continued to inquire.

Elena shook her head. "No…I mean I don't think so. Bonnie was just supposed to change Katherine and Damon's path away from Mystic Falls, not to stop Damon and Stefan from turning…this was just a big mistake." She insisted.

Emily's eyes softened. "I don't believe it was. A witch's true feelings are expressed in their magic." She clarified. She knew what it was like to not be able to have control in the beginning and if witch tried big spells too soon things could go wrong.

"So you think she sent me here on purpose?" Elena's brow creased in disbelief. "No, Bonnie wouldn't do that." She shook her head in denial.

"I'm only suggesting that perhaps her intention was to prevent them from turning to begin with." She replied calmly.

"But then I wouldn't see them again." Elena concluded sadly, realizing that she didn't like the thought of that…despite what they've done.

"I believe you have bigger decisions than who will be your escort." Emily stated before leaving the room.

Elena looked at her self in the mirror and sighed. She didn't want to be the one to make that decision. To be the one to rewrite history…she just wanted to go home. She got up and made her way down the stairs and stopped halfway when she saw Damon walk into the living room looking dashing. He greeted her at the bottom of the stairs.

"You look stunning, Katherine." He took her hand and led her off the last step.

Elena smiled tightly. "Thank you. It's nice to know the pain I endured to get into this dress paid off." She mentally slapped herself for letting her own response slip. Talking like a lady was like talking in an accent…she couldn't do it for long.

Damon blinked then smirked sexily, leaning into her slightly. "Never have I heard a woman speak so freely; it is very refreshing." He praised, as he subtly linking her arm on his and led her further into the room.

"Well I'm definitely not like other women." She responded. _Yeah, not only am I a woman from another era, I'm also a vampire…temporarily. _

"And I admire you for that." He parted from Elena to go to the wet bar and poured two glasses of water. He handed it to her and made sure his eyes caught hers. "So Katherine, have you given any thought to who will be escorting you to the ball?"

She took a sip of the water. "Yes I have." She felt nervous.

Damon narrowed his eyes playfully. "And who will be the lucky man? Someone taller with blue eyes I hope?"

Elena held his gaze for a minute before placing her glass down on the small table. "Yes actually." She hadn't really decided before that moment but something about the hopefulness in his words helped make up her mind. "Stefan had one day of my undivided attention, it would only be fair to offer you the same." Elena declared with a sweet smile.

Damon seemed stunned by her acceptance, blinking a couple of times before grinning elatedly. "I cannot express how happy I am to hear that." He closed some of the distance between them.

Elena tilted her head to the side. "Why do you seem so surprised?" This was a different Damon before her, one that was open about his feelings.

"I'm not usually chosen over my brother." Damon stated casually but the smile slipped from his face.

"I can't understand why." She replied honestly. Of course Stefan was good looking as well but Damon was gorgeous.

A smirk grew on his face. "Neither can I…I'm a much better dancer."

She couldn't hold back the giggle that erupted. "Well you will have to prove that to me then." Elena teased back.

"My brother seems to be besotted by you…he'll be jealous." Damon warned her, but the inflection in his voice suggested he wasn't too bothered.

Elena shifted her eyes quickly. "Why does that not surprise me?" she mumbled to herself.

"Beg your pardon?"

She shook her head. "Nothing…would you mind walking through the maze with me? It's too nice to be indoors." Elena quickly changed the topic.

"Of course." Damon put down his glass as well and held an arm out for her. "I know a part of the grounds you are going to love." He enlightened as they walked out the front door.

Elena used one hand to hold her skirts up and the other was tucked around Damon's arm. "What is it?" she asked looking up at him.

"It's a surprise…you wouldn't want me to ruin the surprise would you?" He walked her through the immaculately trimmed hedges of the maze.

"I hate surprises." Elena informed him. In her case they always ended up turning on her. After her fourteenth birthday she declared no more surprise parties ever.

"You'll love this one, I promise." Damon told her confidently. He led her out of the maze with came out to the front of the Salvatore manor. Off to the right side of the manor was a smaller cabin. "This way." Damon led her towards the cabin and as she got closer she realized it was a stable.

They stepped inside and Elena beamed at the horses in their stables; she always loved horses. "Oh… they're beautiful." She ran her hand down the face of a white one with a black patch on its nose. "Which one's yours?" she asked.

Damon pointed to the horse one stall down. "Her name is Iris." Iris was a chocolate brown with a white patch on her back thigh. Damon watched as Elena petted her mane and Iris leaned into her hand. "I told you you'd like the surprise."

Elena looked at him with excitement. "Can we go for a ride?"

Damon frowned sadly. "I don't have a side-saddle for you." It was all men in the household and it was rare that a woman staying at the boarding house would ride one of their horses.

Elena shook her head dismissively. "Oh that's not necessary." She continued to pet Iris and giggled when she licked her hand.

"How do you intend to hold on?" he asked with honest curiosity.

She smirked to herself before turning to him. "As you do…with my thighs." Elena uttered with innuendo. Natalie Portman said it in _The Other Boleyn Girl_ and she just couldn't resist. The look on his face was worth it.

Damon stared at her in amazement, before stepping closer. His eyes were filled with lust. "You are a _very_ interesting woman." He ghosted a hand down her curled tresses. "I've never met a woman quite like you before."

Elena looked up at him under her lashes. "And hopefully you never will." She couldn't deny the sexual tension between them, and she'd be lying if she said that this was the first time. She knew he wouldn't understand the meaning behind her words, but she truly hoped that he would never meet Katherine somewhere down the line. "Now which one can I ride?" she asked eagerly.

"Any one you chose." And it was in that moment that Damon realized he would give her whatever she asked for.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan stood out front of the Salvatore manor with his hands linked behind his back. He was watching with jealously as Damon and Katherine galloped towards the stables, their laughter echoing and Katherine's hair billowing in the wind. Her horse was slightly ahead of Damon's as they approached the stables. When they were out of sight, Stefan turned and walked back inside with a scowl.

Once they dismounted from the horses and led them back into each of their stalls, Elena turned to Damon with a dazzling smile. "Thank you Damon, I had fun." She admitted honestly.

Damon returned her smile. "I'm glad. You must have ridden before…not even Stefan can keep up with me." He led her out of the stables and back through the maze towards the Boarding House.

"My parents had me in riding lessons when I was a little girl…I haven't ridden since they past away." She stated quietly, bowing her head a little.

Damon stopped walking and turned her to face them lifting her chin to see the eyes he found he could get lost in. "I'm very sorry to hear that; my father told me about the fire."

"Actually it-" Elena stopped herself. Katherine's parents probably did die in a fire. It was hard to not be herself around Damon…he made her feel so content. "It was a long time ago." She quickly covered.

Damon placed a hand on her face, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone softly. "Thank you for spending the day with me Katherine."

Elena had to hold back the cringe of hearing him call her that woman's name. She wanted so badly to hear _her_ name instead of Katherine's. "You're welcome." They continued their walk to the Boarding House in comfortable silence.

Damon walked her right up to her room, placing a lingering kiss on her cheek before leaving reluctantly. Elena had to take a deep breath to calm the butterflies before stepping into her room.

She quickly kicked out of her shoes, and ran to the window to watch him leave. She beamed when he cast a glance up at her window.

"Miss. Elena…you are all dirty." Emily complained taking in the sight of her dress which was filthy at the bottom with the dirt from the fields and dusty from the paths.

Elena turned around hiking up her dress as she approached Emily. "Damon took me riding. Can you help me?" she turned her back on her so Emily could help her out of the dress. It was crazy to her that she wasn't even able to get changed by herself, and it took so long! Once the dress was off, as well as the under lays, Elena slipped into a much comfier shift.

"I shall run you a bath and get these cleaned for you right away." Emily promised as she grabbed the dirty dress and headed for the door.

"Thank you." Elena said appreciatively.

Emily stopped and turned around with a smile. Hearing a thank you for her work was very uncommon. Katherine just made demands. "…You are welcome Miss. Elena."

"Just Elena... no 'miss' before, okay?" Elena told her. She never liked the formality.

Emily nodded. "Alright." She left the room to draw a bath in the bathing room.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After her bath and after she had changed, Emily took Elena into town to feed. Elena hated doing this, but she knew she needed to feed. Emily told her that they needed to go into town because anything closer would raise suspicion. She picked a man, lured him into a back alley with her seductive eyes and compelled him to be quite. She could hear his pulse racing and her eyes narrowed in on his neck. She tilted his head to the side and brought forth her fangs.

Usually Elena would feel disgusted with having to feed of on a human…but right now this is what she was, it was in her nature and it felt…right to her. She sunk her fangs into his neck and held him steady as he struggled, taking four long pulls before retracting. She licked her lips and stared right into his eyes. "You're okay. You're going to go home, and you're not going to remember me or what just happened."

"What just happened?" He questioned confused.

"You fell and hurt yourself."

"I fell."

Elena turned and walked away and hopped back into the carriage waiting for her. "Let's go." She felt bad that she had to mess with someone's mind like that but she was slowly starting to understand what it was to be a vampire. Self-preservation. She needed to protect herself and to do that she needed to hurt others.

She wiped a tear that fell as they rode back to the Salvatore manor.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena, Damon, Stefan and Giuseppe all sat together at the long dinner table in the Salvatore manor. Elena couldn't help but catch Damon's eyes from across the table every so often, happy when he seemed to be gazing back at her.

"How are you enjoying your stay here Katherine?" Giuseppe asked her politely. "My son is keeping you entertained I hope?" he continued casting a glance at Stefan with a smile.

Elena's eyes shifted between Giuseppe and Damon. Why would he only mention Stefan? Damon's jaw tensed and he looked down at his plate. "Yes, both Stefan and Damon have made my stay here very enjoyable." She smiled at Damon and he returned it gratefully.

"I took her riding today." Damon piped up hoping to please his father.

"Alone?" the dark tone he spoke with made Elena stop chewing.

"Yes." Damon replied.

"Damon…" his father grumbled in distaste.

"Oh it's quite alright Mr. Salvatore, I'm used to riding alone." She explained thinking he was talking about riding her own horse.

Giuseppe kept his angry gaze on Damon. "I meant without a chaperone. Damon has the war made you lose your mind as well as your pride?" he stabbed.

Damon sat straighter. "I left the war because I didn't agree with the senseless death and the destruction the civilians faced father…my pride is intact." He stated confidently.

Giuseppe scoffed. "Well you're mind is not!" he continued to harp. "You are never to take a woman of Miss. Pierce's status out un-chaperoned, it would be damaging to her reputation."

Elena watched as Damon silently took his father's disapproval. It was clear to her that this happened regularly. "It was my idea Mr. Salvatore. I sent Emily away."

Giuseppe looked taken aback. "Oh, well why on earth would you do that?"

Elena scanned her brain for an answer. "I trust Damon to be respectful of my wishes while we're alone. I trust that he would not take advantage of such a moment and he did not." She told him with confidence. She hoped that was enough to shut him up, and maybe shed some light to the fact that Damon shouldn't be so misunderstood. It wasn't.

"You give him too much credit Miss. Pierce…if you spent another day with him you'd realize Stefan would be a better choice." He spoke with pride when talking about Stefan. Everyone at the table was uncomfortable including Stefan.

"Father, maybe you are being too harsh." Stefan suggested calmly. "Damon's choices in life, albeit not the best, do not make who he is."

Damon sat staring at the table clearly upset and maybe even embarrassed about the direction of the conversation, but he didn't say anything knowing it would never make a difference when it came to his Father.

Before Giuseppe could reply, Elena spoke up. "With no disrespect to you Stefan, I have chosen Damon to be my escort to the ball tomorrow night." She stated proudly. Damon's head shot up to meet her eyes, and he broke out into a smile. "It will be the first Founder's Day ball?" she questioned Giuseppe changing the subject.

The rest of dinner was had talking about the ball and its purpose and nothing more. She was glad…Elena was not a fan of the Damon bashing.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After drinks in the parlor room, Elena and Emily put on their coats to go back to the Boarding House. Elena was waiting for Damon to finish talking with his father so she could ask him to walk them back.

Stefan walked up beside her. "Shall I walk you back to the Boarding House?" he offered hopefully.

"Actually…" Elena stopped when she heard yelling coming from Giuseppe and Damon. "Sure…" she agreed reluctantly. She didn't want Stefan to think that she didn't like him at all, but she noticed his jealous and slightly possessive tendencies over the past couple of days and she didn't want to lead him to believe that she was interested as more than a friend.

Stefan held out his arm and she linked her arm around his. They started the walk back through the maze with Emily a few feet behind them. "You chose Damon as your escort?" he inquired tensely with skepticism.

Elena frowned slightly, her eyes not leaving the path in front of her. "Yes." She already explained this at dinner, why was he asking again? "Does that bother you?"

"It does…" Elena glanced at him surprised by his admission. "I like you Katherine…it pains me to see you getting on so well with my brother."

Elena sighed. "I'm sorry you feel that way Stefan."

Stopping and turning to her. "Can we have a moment?" he suggested to Emily who looked to Elena for confirmation. Elena nodded, and waited for Emily to walk ahead a little.

"Do you not like me?" he asked sadly, gazing down at her with hope shining in his eyes.

"I like you Stefan…as a friend. I'm sorry that's not what you want, but that is all I can offer you." Elena claimed gently, not wanting to hurt him any more than she had to. Stefan took a deep breath and nodded. They continued the rest of the walk in silence, and Elena bid him a goodnight at the door instead of at her room. "Thank you for walking me, Stefan. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He mumbled quietly, his pride clearly wounded.

Elena trudged up the stairs to her room and pulled all the pins and clips out of her hair. Emily came in soon after to help her out of her dress and corset.

"Katherine would have led them both on." Emily told her hanging up the dress.

"She did." Elena replied bitterly. "She led them both on, broke Stefan's heart and damaged Damon for the next hundred and fifty years. I didn't want to hurt Stefan like she did."

Emily nodded. "You did the right thing." She left the room, and Elena slipped on her nightgown before slipping into her bed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 2010

Bonnie sighed in frustration. She tried everything she could to bring Elena back form where ever she was, but nothing was working. The grimoire didn't say anything about reversing a reversal spell and she was at a loss. She came down the stairs and into the kitchen where her grandma was making tea.

"Grams…I messed up and now I don't know how to fix it." She admitted with tears shining in her eyes.

"What happened?" Sheila asked worried. "Does it have to do with Elena?"

Bonnie nodded and sat down at the table across from her. "Yes. I sent her…somewhere during a spell."

Sheila raised a brow. "What was the spell for?"

Bonnie didn't answer right away knowing her grandma wasn't going to like it. "It was a reversal spell to change Damon and Katherine's path away from Mystic Falls." She quickly explained.

Sheila looked at her granddaughter with a mix of worry and disappointment. "That's a big spell Bonnie; you should know better that to try something so difficult."

"I know, but what else was I supposed to do, wait around for more people to die?" she exclaimed in a panicked voice.

"You tell me. I can help you, but only you can bring her back." Sheila replied taking a sip of her tea.

"Why?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Because you cast the spell. Go grab the grimoire; we've got some work to do."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Glad you're still following. There you go some much needed Delena moments. Next chapter is the Founder's Ball! Please review it fuels the fire…thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: LadyloveSymone I love having the TVD fans on there!

Vanessa!


	8. The Near Touch

Chapter 8: The Near Touch

Mystic Falls 2010

Damon still hadn't found Katherine but he wasn't worried. He was used to her taking off every once in a while. But as he was showering unfamiliar memories of Katherine clouded his brain. It was like remembering a dream that was so vivid you thought it was real…but it couldn't be real, could it? He remembered his life with Katherine. He remembered competing with Stefan for her affections and…and he remembered the Founder's Ball. She went with Stefan.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 1864

Damon and Elena circled each other, their hands nearly touching and their eyes locked on each other. Their feet moved in time with the music playing loudly in the Lockwood mansion.

They danced together completely oblivious to the world around them until the music slowly faded out. Elena finally broke her gaze and let her eyes wander to a spot over Damon's shoulder. "Stefan seems upset." She commented, as another song started up and they continued dancing.

"He's jealous that you chose me as your escort." He smirked leaning closer to her.

Elena shrugged. "Then let him…it just proves that I made the right decision." She beamed at him as he spun her around on the floor.

Damon's fingers sashayed across the small of Elena's back. "If I am being totally honest I would have been jealous as well; I don't like to share what's mine." He proclaimed seriously, his eyes piercing through hers.

Elena raised a brow and her lips curled into a smirk. "Are you staking your claim on me Mr. Salvatore?" she teased.

He smiled. "Was that too forward? I am infatuated by you…a feeling I am not familiar with." He told her with mild embarrassment. Damon found himself taken by this incredibly amazing woman and he was worried she would be offended by his affections.

But Elena only beamed a dazzling smile in response. "I know what you mean." She swore if her heart were beating it would break her chest. The shy innocence of the man before her was not the cocky, sarcastic man she knew…_God what did Katherine do to you?_ She thought to herself. "We have something between us…a chemistry."

Damon's face visibly brightened. "Yes…" he breathed out. The music faded out and Elena curtsied and Damon bowed before leading her away from the others dancing. He caught Stefan staring and sipping a scotch out of the corner of his eye. "Stefan will be bothered that I stole you from him."

Elena looked up at him. "I was never his to have." She wanted to make it clear to Damon that he was her choice. She made it clear to Stefan already…or so she hoped.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan spent majority of the night with his hand around a whiskey glass and eying his brother laughing with Katherine across the room. They were talking to George Lockwood.

He wanted her. He couldn't deny that he envied his brother's luck. She made it clear last night at dinner that she was excepting Damon's courtship, but it did not change the way he felt about her. Stefan finished the remainder of whiskey in his glass and disappeared into the parlor room.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena found listening in history class was quite helpful. George and Damon were talking about the battle of Willow Creek and other current events, and Elena was even able to put her two cents in once in a while. They listened to her opinions and shared there own with the utmost respect.

"Shall I get you another glass?" Damon gestured to her empty champagne flute, his hand resting on the small of her back.

Elena nodded. "Yes, thank you Damon." She watched him leave, weaving through the crowd to find a server.

"It must be disorienting." George Lockwood stated with a grin.

Elena glanced back at him, pulling her eyes away from Damon's back. "I beg your pardon?"

"It seems you're the rope in the Salvatore's tug of war." He explained. "I can understand why, a charming woman such as yourself." He complimented graciously.

Elena smiled as she dropped her eyes modestly. "Thank you George…but Damon is the only Salvatore that holds my attention." She admitted confidently.

George nodded, and linked his hands behind his back. "That's good to hear. Damon has been a friend of mine for many years."

Before Elena could reply Damon came back handing her a glass and holding one of his own. "Here you are Katherine."

Elena blinked at the use of her name again. "Thank you Damon." She gazed up at him happily as he delved back into a conversation with George.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 2010

Damon pushed open Stefan's bedroom door without knocking. "Stef…" he started before spotting Stefan doing chin ups on a wooden beam. "Ooh…someone's stressed." He sang out crossing his arms over his chest. "You only work out when you're on edge…have you been drinking human blood?" he prodded nosily.

Stefan didn't stop his reps. "I'm fine…just felt like working out." He huffed grumpily.

Damon smirked. "Liar…you've got cravings admit it."

Stefan dropped from the beam, and dropped to the floor to start his push ups. "Damon, I'm not interested in your attempt to lure me into your way of life. If you have something to say than say it, and leave." He pumped his arms up and down in quick bursts.

Damon was silent for a minute before perching himself on Stefan's desk. He would have continued to taunt him but he needed to know if Stefan was remembering the same things he was. He sighed deeply before speaking. "Do you remember the First Founder's day Ball?"

Stefan stopped in mid push up. "Of course." He continued after a beat.

Damon eyed him cryptically. "You remember being Katherine's escort?"

Stefan stopped again, but got to his feet this time, looking at Damon oddly. "She took you." His voice was laced with contempt.

Damon shook his head. "But she didn't, Stef…she took you. I'm remembering things that I _know_ didn't happen!" he told his brother in bewilderment. "We fought for her, she played us against each other…she didn't pick me right away. Something's happening." He stated thoughtfully.

Stefan frowned at Damon. "I remember my moments with Katherine...she was very clear that you were her choice. She didn't love me…" Stefan busied himself with looking for a shirt to wear.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well I know that." He ignored the glare thrown his way. "But I'm telling you Stefan…something is amiss here, and I'm gonna figure it out." He pushed himself off the desk and left Stefan's room with determination. If this was to do with compulsion than Stefan wouldn't remember with his weak blood diet. This was something he was going to have to do on his on.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 1864

Damon walked Elena up the stairs of the Boarding House to her room after the Ball. It was a great night of dancing and laughing and genuinely enjoying each others company. Elena couldn't believe how easily it was to be with Damon. It was comfortable and it felt right. "Thank you Damon…I had a wonderful time." They stopped outside of her room, and she turned to look up at him.

Damon gazed down at her happily. "So did I…I had the most beautiful of women on my arm tonight." He took both her gloved hands in his and kissed her knuckles.

"And I had the most handsome escort." She returned honestly. She was sure the envy of the unwed young ladies at the ball; escorted by a man who saw no reason to escort a woman to a ball or party before her.

He closed the distance between them. "Do I have permission to court you?" he had never courted anyone before but Katherine was different.

Elena batted her eyelashes coyly. "Yes, you do."

Damon's smile quirked into a half smirk. "Do I have permission to kiss you?" His hand gently pushed her curls off her shoulder exposing her bare neck. At her nod of acceptance he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers, caressing her face with one hand.

It was the most electric kiss she ever experienced. Every inch of her skin felt like it was set ablaze with the touch of his lips on hers. Her hands rested on his strong chest, and she could feel his heart racing against her.

Damon pulled back slowly resting his forehead against hers with his eyes still closed. "Words cannot even describe…" he opened his eyes and gazed down at her.

Elena's eyes were still closed as she tried to control herself. She could feel the hum of his blood with his proximity and paired with the passion and excitement she was feeling at the moment it was starting to undo her. The veins under her eyes had protruded and her fangs pushed through her gums behind her lips. She opened her eyes to see the widening of his, before Elena quickly turned her back on him and took in a deep breath.

"Katherine, are you okay?" Damon asked concerned, placing his hand on her bare shoulder.

Elena pushed the bloodlust back and turned back to him. "Yes…I'm sorry I must go." She moved to walk past him, but he gently held her hand.

"Did I say something wrong?" He wasn't sure what just happened but he knew it was the most amazing kiss of his life and he didn't want to let her walk away.

Elena smiled at him prettily. "No, I'm tired is all." She leaned up and kissed his cheek sweetly. "Goodnight Damon."

"Goodnight."

She entered her room leaned against the door sighing happily. Her feelings for Damon were developing so fast and it was sweeping her up.

"Did my brother's advances overwhelm you?" The question came from the back corner of the room.

Elena should have known someone else was in here with her the second she came in, but Damon's kiss had her off guard. She stared as Stefan stepped out of the shadows, his tie undone and his close slightly disheveled. "You shouldn't be in here Stefan." She moved from the door to take her shall off and put it away.

Stefan continued, ignoring her statement. "Why did you pick him?" he slurred approaching her.

Elena turned back to him, and caught the smell of alcohol around him. "Now is not the time to talk about this, you're drunk and I'm tired." She headed towards her vanity but Stefan caught her arm roughly. If she was human it would hurt.

Stefan looked at her intensely, his face too close to hers. "Do you care for him?" his voice begged for her to tell him the answer he wanted to hear.

Elena held his gaze. "Stefan I told you I'm tired…please leave." Her voice commanded as her pupils contracted.

Stefan blinked. "Goodnight Katherine." He smiled blankly and quickly left the room.

Elena sighed deeply. God she was thankful for compulsion…otherwise that would have been an awkward conversation. She did her best to get out of her dress on her own, not wanting to wake Emily. She undid the lace on the corset and slipped it off. When she was dressed in her night gown, she collapsed on the bed falling asleep thinking about the kiss she shared with Damon.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 2010

Stefan stood outside Elena's house staring at her bedroom window. She wasn't there…it had been another four days and still no sight of Elena. She hadn't even been home. Due to mid year exams school was out for a week and a half so he hadn't had the chance to see her there either. He was having the sinking suspicion that Elena was in trouble.

He ran home bursting through the front door and straight into the parlor where he knew Damon was. "I think Elena's missing." He proclaimed loudly over the music blasting.

Damon was twirling a half naked and laughing girl around, drinking from a liquor bottle. "Oh who cares!" he exclaimed watching the blonde dance to the beat.

Stefan crossed his arms in disapproved before moving to the stereo and turning it off. Damon rolled his eyes and the girl stopped dancing with an over exaggerated pout. "I do, she could be in trouble."

The older vampire turned to the girl. "Why don't you wait for me upstairs?" he suggested with a sexy smirk.

She pouted again. "But I wanna dance some more." She whined.

Damon locked his eyes on her. "Go upstairs…and don't move." He compelled rudely.

"Okay!" she shot him a bright smile and skipped upstairs.

Damon moved to the wet bar and poured himself a drink. "What is so special about this girl, huh? She's a measly little human with measly little human emotions." He tossed back a shot.

"I happen to love that about her." Stefan shot back defensively.

Damon blinked before scoffing obnoxiously. "_Love_? You're using the 'L' word now? God you need some serious help. You've known the girl for a couple of months and all of a sudden you love her?" he rolled his eyes. "This is 1864 all over again."

Stefan shook his head in a condescending way. "Love is a concept you'll never be able to grasp, Damon."

All of a sudden Damon was right in front of his brother. "You're not _in love_ Stef!" he expressed in annoyance. "You're obsessed, I thought we covered this? And by the way, I wouldn't have spent a century and a half with Katherine if I didn't love her even a little bit." He said casually. Of course he didn't love her anymore, but he was in love with her.

"You didn't love Katherine." Stefan fired back angrily. "You just wanted to win her over me, and now you rub it in my face every chance you get."

"I do like to do that…" Damon mused fondly.

Stefan huffed in annoyance and rage. He couldn't deal with his brother right now, and clearly he wasn't going to help him. "I'm going to look for her, see if I can track her scent." He started heading for the stairs.

Damon chuckled. "You can't follow a scent when you're eating bunnies for breakfast." He called loudly before pouring another drink.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Orleans 2010

She sat there with a blank look on her beautiful face, deep in thought. She was remembering men, two in particular that she just couldn't name. They were beautiful each in their own way and she wanted to know where these images were coming from, these memories.

She was never one to be confused…she always knew the full score, but not this time, and that unnerved her.

"Hey…Kat? You got that look on your face again." Lucy got her attention giving her a half smile.

"What look?" Katherine asked casually as she continued fixing her hair in the mirror.

"The one that tells me you're anywhere but here." She replied catching her eyes in the mirror. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing." Kat bit out harshly. "Just thinking that's all." She responded shortly.

Lucy raised her hands. "Okay…just checking. You seemed a little…disconnected lately." She observed quietly.

Katherine arched a brow high. "I'm always disconnected…it's much more fun." She put down her curling iron and coated her lips with red lipstick. "I'm going hunting tonight…don't wait up." She winked.

Lucky chuckled. "I never do." She watched as Kat stood and straightened out her clothes. "Have fun at Marti Gras." She teased as Katherine walked out the door.

A/N: Wow so sorry guys for the late update, I was really sick with the flu and had no energy to sit at the computer and write. So there it is…some more Delena and a little glimpse at what Katherine's up to.

I also was to address that I know things seem to be moving quickly with Elena and Damon in 1864 and don't really follow the time line in the show, but not a lot of this story does. If you hadn't already noticed the relationship between Katherine, Damon and Stefan is completely different so don't go by what the show's facts are. I'll be explaining more along the way but if you have any questions feel free to ask away.

Sorry I haven't gotten back to any of your PM's I just want you to know that I really really appreciate them! Please review and let me know what you think!


	9. Midnight Meeting

Chapter 9: Midnight Meeting

Mystic Falls 1864

Elena paced the floor nervously. Five days ago she shared her first of many kisses with Damon, but her passion for him caused her to lose control. It was getting harder and harder for her to hide what she was from him and she didn't want to anymore. She needed to tell him, she needed him to turn if she wanted to see him in the future. A knock at the door alerted her to his arrival.

She greeted him with a warm smile when he popped his head in the door. "Damon."

"Hello Katherine…" he smiled brightly appraising her black corset and skirts trimmed with white lace. "Emily said you needed to see me." He placed his hands on her waist as he closed the distance between them.

Elena ran her hands up his chest and nodded. "Yes…come sit with me." She took his hands in hers and pulled him towards the bed. She lifted her skirts and sat on the edge; one leg bent at the knee the other dangling. She noticed the odd way Damon was looking at her…probably because this wasn't the way a lady usually sat, but he sat beside her anyway and mimicked her position.

"What is it Katherine?" He was worried that she no longer wanted his courtship. Damon was so enamored with her that losing her now would break his heart. The only woman he ever loved was his mother; no other woman even came close to the barrier around his heart…no one except for Katherine.

Elena stroked her thumb over the back of his hand. "I really like you Damon…but there are some things you need to know about me." She started hesitantly and taking a deep breath. "My name's not Katherine…it's Elena."

Damon only smiled. "It means light…" he leaned in a little closer. "It suits you much better." He complimented.

Elena grinned bashfully. "Thank you…but there's more. I just don't want you to be afraid of me." Her eyes dropped to their interlocked hands.

Damon squeezed them with gentle reassurance. "I'm not afraid of you…only the pain you can cause me." He was well aware that if he put his heart out on the line he may never get it back, and although Damon wanted nothing more than to succumb to her, his fear of rejection held him back.

Elena shook her head. "I would never hurt you Damon, please know that." She expressed honestly.

Damon nodded. "Than know that anything you say now will not change my love for you." He couldn't hold back his feelings for her. She had to know that he would do anything to have her as his own.

Elena blinked in surprise. "You love me?" her breathy voice asked. The second the word 'love' slipped from his lips Elena felt a rush tremble through her body. It astounded her that one little word could mean so much to her.

Staring into her eyes with his piercing blue ones, all the emotion in his heart was clearly displayed on his face. "With ever fiber of my being."

Elena's eyes filled with tears and happiness at his declaration. She wished she could just stop there and forget the rest of what she needed to tell him but that wasn't an option for her. She was running out of time. "I'm a vampire."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon shot up out of his sleep with a wild expression. "Elena…" he whispered to himself. It was Elena. All the new memories, the change in Stefan's…Katherine's absence. It was all making sense now. Somehow Elena had replaced Katherine and was rewriting history. "Stefan!" Damon threw the duvet off and threw on a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. He sped into Stefan's room where he was writing in his journal. "I know where she is…or more precisely _when_ she is."

Stefan sighed and closed his journal. "What are you talking about?" he didn't have the patience to deal with Damon's new version of torture.

Damon sauntered into the room, speaking slowly as if to a child. "Elena is in 1864…as Katherine. She must have just told me." He added to himself thoughtfully. "We have to find Bonnie." Damon started heading out of the room when Stefan's voice stopped him.

"Yesterday you didn't care." Stefan shot at his brother's back. He was almost positive that this was all a joke to Damon.

"Well now I do, so let's go." Damon said shortly.

It only took minutes for Damon and Stefan to bolt to Bonnie's house. The love Damon thought he felt for Katherine was soon revealed to be for Elena. It was Elena that had chosen him from the beginning, it was Elena that he shared those precious moments with…it was Elena that believed in him.

But there was a problem. Although the future had changed some because of her, chances are Elena was still in danger of the council. He needed to find her and bring her back, but first he needed to find the witch that sent her there.

Damon sped up the porch before Stefan and rapped loudly.

Bonnie opened the door a few seconds later and her gaze turned stony. "You two can't be here." She asserted.

"I know where Elena is." Damon rushed out impatiently.

Bonnie frowned in anger, her hand of the door ready to slam it shut at any moment. "What did you do to her?"

Damon stepped as close as the invisible barricade allowed him towering over the witch. "I should be asking you that question. Elena is in 1864 in Katherine's place, and _you_ sent her there." He growled in intimidation.

Bonnie was visibly shocked by his words and took a step back. "How do you know this?"

"Because I'm remembering it." He paced slightly as he ran a hand through he jet back hair.

Stefan frowned. "So you're saying Elena is the one we fell in love with in 1864?" he clarified slowly. The anxiousness that Damon was projecting was verifying the reality of the situation.

Damon rolled his eyes in annoyance. "No, Katherine was, but Bonnie here sent Elena back in her place and now she's rewriting history." He explained quickly. He didn't have time to spell out every little thing; they were wasting time standing out on this porch.

Stefan crossed his arms in doubt. "Why don't I remember anything?"

Damon shot a glance at him. "She didn't tell you who she really was." He hoped that would shut him up but the no avail.

"But why-"

Thankfully Bonnie cut off the younger vampire. "Can we get back on track here guys? Damon what's the last thing you remember?" She honestly didn't want to have anything to do with either brother, whether Elena chose to befriend them or not, but she needed their help if she was ever going to bring her back.

With all the research and practicing she'd been doing, without knowing exactly where Elena was she wouldn't be able to bring her back.

Damon shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a big blur," he lied. "Look we don't have much time before things go completely wrong." He pushed gravely getting in Bonnie's face to make his point.

Bonnie lifted her chin defiantly as well as an eyebrow. "Then maybe that's for the best. If Elena doesn't turn you then we don't have to live with the damage you've done." She threatened coldly.

"_Elena_ could die!" Damon shouted his eyes were wild with barely restrained desperation. "If they burn her in the church it's over for her!" Damon didn't want to think of the idea of Elena being trapped in there. Katherine had faked her death using what ever resources she could and ran off with him, but Elena wouldn't expect it…and she would burn.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 1864

A WEEK AND A HALF LATER

Damon's eyes locked on Elena's as he drank from her wrist. A sly smile formed on her lips and his grip tightened slightly. Elena brushed the strands of hair out of his face once he pulled away and curled her body around his.

"Does my brother know?" Damon asked quietly, running his fingers through her locks.

Elena looked up at him. "Stefan doesn't know anything and I intend to keep it that way." She straddled his hips speedily and lowered herself to kiss him ardently.

Damon gazed at her with unbridled awe; her chocolate colored tresses falling over her shoulders in a curtain of silk. "I love you Elena…but I can't leave him alone. I need to at least offer him the choice you gave me." He noticed the hesitance in her eyes. "He's my brother."

Elena sighed. She couldn't deny him that. As much as she didn't want to give Stefan a reason to believe he had a chance with her she would offer him the opportunity anyways…for Damon. "Okay…but if he freaks out I'm blaming you." She teased hopping off the bed and picked out a dress for dinner.

Damon watched every graceful move she made with fascination. "What is the future like?" he questioned curiously.

"Very different." She pulled out a midnight blue dress and tilted her head to the side in contemplation. "The clothes are more comfortable, it's not wrong to have children before marriage, women are allowed to vote, and slavery is non existent…in most states." She added as an afterthought. She laid out the dress and came back to her spot beside Damon who was now leaning against her headboard.

"Good…I never liked the idea of it; it's inhumane."

Elena felt a stinging prickle through her fingers and the back of her throat. She was hungry. She hadn't feed yet having woken up with Damon and spending majority of the morning in bed.

Damon caught her gaze and touched her cheek with a gentle graze of his knuckles. "What's the matter?"

Elena shook her head and exhaled deeply. "It's nothing, I'm just hungry…it'll pass." She reassured kindly.

Damon straightened up. "Is it blood you need? You can have some of mine." He offered his arm to her rolling up his sleeve.

She pushed his arm down and shook her head. "No, I couldn't." She could hear his blood pumping under the pulse point and it took a lot of effort to resist.

"Elena please…I trust you." He told her simply as if it was the only thing that mattered. She held his arm, trailing her fingers over his vein before bringing forth her fangs.

She opened her mouth and slowly lowered her mouth to his wrist, gently biting down on the skin. She heard Damon's slight gasp and locked her darkened eyes on his as she drank from him.

Damon wasn't even frightened by her red-rimmed eyes or her sharp fangs…he was admiring the beauty of this moment; Elena drinking from him like she needed him to survive, like his blood was an elixir.

They spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sun while Elena explained to him all she knew about the vampire world, which wasn't much. The irony of it was she was reiterating the same information he once told her.

Emily was fluffing her dress before dinner when a knock came at the door. Elena smiled immediately knowing it was Damon. "Thank you Emily." She dismissed her kindly as Damon entered and took her in his arms.

"My love, looking as lovely as ever." He tipped her chin up to kiss her sweetly. "I have something for you."

Elena cocked her head to the side. "Another gift?"

Damon reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a silk pouch and played with it in his hands. "This one is more special than the others. It belonged to my mother." He told her seriously.

Elena shook her head. "Oh Damon, I couldn't." she insisted.

Damon smirked. "Yes you can, now close your eyes." He waited for her to close them before slipping the necklace out of the pouch and goes to clasp it around her neck.

But before he could do so Elena hissed and reeled back her skin sizzling where the pendant touched her. "Elena! Are you okay?" he rushed to her side and watched as the burn mark slowly healed.

Elena nodded. "Vervain…it has vervain in it." She took a closer look at the necklace still held in Damon's hand. "I remember this…you gave it to me to protect me." She realized in a daze. Damon had given her his mother's necklace to protect her; his mother, who was a special memory, a woman that held a significant part of his heart.

"Then you must have been special to me in your time as well." He commented, tucking the necklace away and taking her into his embrace.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena stood looking out the window of her room, while Damon paced the floor nervously. It was well past midnight and they were waiting for Stefan to join them. Elena's head turned sharply to the door before Stefan entered.

"Katherine, Damon…" Stefan entered the room and closed the door quietly behind him. "What is so important that we must meet this late?" he questioned curiously.

The past week and a half had been hard on him; watching Katherine and Damon get closer every day and seeing the heated looks between them during dinner. He was well aware of their late night and early morning rendezvous and he could only wish to spend a moment in Damon's shoes.

Elena approached him slowly pinning her gaze on him. "No one must know about this meeting…do you understand?" she compelled him.

"I understand." He replied in monotone. He blinked and turned to Damon. "Damon what is this about?"

The older Salvatore spoke with an excited tone. "Katherine has opened up my eyes to this whole new world…one where we can watch as it evolves and never age a day!" he said animatedly. Both Elena and Damon decided to not let on who she really was. Damon and Emily already knew of the future and telling anyone else could change things too drastically. At Stefan's puzzled look Damon continued. "Vampirism…its real Stefan and Katherine can give us that."

Stefan's eyes shot back and forth between his brother and Katherine. "Eternal life? No it's impossible."

Elena stood before him. "It's not and I can prove it." Her face changed before his eyes and Stefan jumped back startled. "Stefan, relax…you're not afraid of me." She influenced him again.

"I'm not afraid."

Damon stood beside Elena and placed a hand on Stefan's shoulder. "I need my brother with me Stefan…I can't do this without you."

Stefan took a few moments to think over his options. He didn't have much for him here, and without Damon it would almost seem pointless. The thought of eternal life with Katherine within arms reach was also appealing. It gave him time…time to persuade her affections and win her over. "What do I have to do?"

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! I hope you liked this chapter! I was absolutely AMAZED by tonight's episode of **TVD**. God Elena is one brave little chicky, and Elijah is dead…I kinda liked him though he was funny. And I love that Katherine is back and she's sticking around…can't wait for the next episode! It was so interesting to see the roles reversed between Stefan and Damon too.

I wanted to comment on one of the reviews: Stefan was meant to have a stalker quality to him, much like how he was in** 'The Dinner Party'**…kind of like Angelus in Buffy. Creepy as hell. Lol well anyways please **review** and ask me any questions you have. **Try not to be anonymous so I can PM you back. : )**

Follow me on Twitter: **LadyloveSymone **


	10. I'll Be Seeing You

Chapter 10: I'll Be Seeing You

Elena and Emily walked around the maze leisurely. "I see you've made your decision." Emily commented.

Elena nodded. "I have. I love Damon…and he needs his brother. I can't leave here knowing I'll never see him again." She explained casting a glance at Damon who was playing football with Stefan. She turned to the witch. "Emily I need a favor…you spelled Katherine's necklace, didn't you?"

Emily nodded once. "I did."

Elena fingered the necklace gently. "In my time Damon and Stefan had rings made of the same stone as this." She could see the wheels turning in Emily's head, and the words of rejection about to be said. "Please Emily…I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't important to me." She begged.

Emily considered it for a moment. The woman before was not Katherine…she didn't have any devious plan behind her request. She just wanted to be with the man she loved. "Alright…" Out of the corner of her eye Emily saw Giuseppe usher Jonathan Gilbert and William Forbes into the manor. "You should be more careful when you feed in town. The council is getting suspicious."

Elena bowed her head shyly. "Damon has been-um…I haven't gone out to feed in a while." She mumbled. For the past while Damon had been feeding her so she wouldn't have to go into town. He was willingly giving her his blood during their heated moments.

Emily's brow frowned as she looked around her cautiously. "Then there are other vampires here."

Elena's looked at her curiously. "What's the council?" She remembered Damon saying her ancestor Jonathan Gilbert was on it, but she never asked what is was.

"One member of each founding family; collectively they hunt vampires."

Elena stopped walking when they exited the maze and stood in front of the Salvatore manor. "But the Salvatore's…" she started.

"Giuseppe leads the council, I only found out yesterday."

"What!" Elena whispered in shock. She'd been living under the nose of a vampire hunter this whole time.

"He doesn't suspect you. You walk in the daylight…they are unaware that it is possible." Emily reassured.

Elena exhaled a shaky breath. "Emily this is bad, what am I going to do?"

"Be very careful." The witch warned.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon and Stefan stepped into their father's study an hour later. "What is it Father?" Stefan asked.

Giuseppe stood from his chair and waved a hand at Damon. "Close the door." He came to stand in front of his sons with a glass in his hand. "The town is in danger." He stated gravely.

Damon frowned. "In danger of what?"

Giuseppe finished the rest of his drink before walking to the wet bar and poured to glasses for Damon and Stefan. "There are evil beings walking amongst us, pretending to be our friends and feeding on the townspeople." Giuseppe paced to the window and turning his back on his sons.

Stefan and Damon shared a quick glance out of the corner of their eyes. "Feeding?" Damon questioned with false innocence. His eyes told Stefan not to say anything about Elena, although he didn't know that he couldn't anyway due to Elena's compulsion.

Their Father turned back around sharply. "Vampires, Damon…living right under our noses. The Council is assembling a plan to rid the town of them."

"Is that safe, Father?" Stefan asked quietly. "If vampires are real, should we really be plotting against them?" He was scared what they would do to Katherine if they ever found out what she was.

"We have no other choice son." Giuseppe asserted firmly. "Action must be taken in order to keep our families safe." He nodded to the drink in their hands. "That is my finest bourbon, so you best not waste it." Damon and Stefan promptly finished their drinks. "Now I am expecting William and Jonathan back any moment, take your leave and speak of this to no one." He insisted.

"Yes father." Damon replied. Both brothers placed their empty glasses down and exited Giuseppe's study. Damon knew that he would tell Elena everything that his father told him; his loyalty lied with her above all else.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was later that night when Damon lay comfortably next to Elena, basking in the euphoria of their lovemaking. He had told her about the conversation with his father and Elena told she would be careful to not be found out.

Damon twirled a lock of her hair around his finger, amazed by the silky softness of it, as Elena drew intricate patterns on his bare chest with her fingers. When Elena felt her face shift, she darted to the other side of the room and took a calming breath.

Damon was becoming accustomed to seeing this, knowing that her control waned around him. "Elena, you haven't fed all day." He commented concernedly. He sat up on his elbows watching Elena slip into her under dress. She was starting to get the hang of doing it on her own. He in turn pulled on his slacks, not bothering to put on a shirt or slip the suspenders over his shoulders. She figured it would be easier to control herself if his heated skin wasn't naked against hers, enticing her with the pulsing of his blood.

Once she was done she glided back into the bed with him. "I'm fine Damon….I just want to lay here with you." She rested her head on his chest again, his heart beat comforting her. 

His hand grazed the side of her slightly paler cheek. "You need to keep your strength up. If my father suspects anything he'll take you away from me." He protested sadly. The thought of that alone gave him a sinking feeling in his heart.

Elena smirked to herself before flipping on top of him straddling his waist. "My strength is fine." She brushed her lips against his speaking softly. "I love you."

Damon tucked the waves of chestnut tresses behind her ear tenderly. "I love you…even eternity will not be enough." He vowed devotedly.

Elena broke out in a smile. "You are never this cheesy in the future." She commented. She found it adorable and touching that he felt so dearly for her, but the Damon she knew was not one to speak so freely about his emotions.

He frowned deeply in confusion. "Cheesy?"

"Mushy, sappy." She reiterated knowing he still wouldn't understand. It was so weird that she was explaining to him words that didn't even exist yet.

Damon shook his head. "I'm not familiar with these words."

"It's okay…it doesn't matter here." Elena lowers her head and kisses him passionately, relishing in the way his arms wrapped around her, tunneling in her hair and holding her close to him.

Never had she felt a passion like this before; the basic need to be close, so close that they were one form. Elena's hips moved against his, both moaning in unrestrained ardor. Damon's kisses traveled down her neck and collarbone, causing Elena to gasp and tilt her head to give him better access. When his teeth nipped at her skin, her veins popped out under her eyes and her fangs descended. Elena placed a hand on his chest to stop him, and took a second to push back her hunger for him.

Damon noticed her red eyes, and the sharpness of her teeth, and stroked her face, watching as the veins receded at his touch. "Please Elena…" he tilted his head to the side offering her his neck. He wanted so badly to help her, to share the special exchange of blood. In the past few days he had become enthused to offer her his blood and take hers as well. It connected them in a way that superseded any human action of love.

Elena stared down at him with lust and love in her eyes before focusing on her pulse point. She brought force her face once again and was happy to see the smile on Damon's face instead of fear. He loved her…all of her; even her demon. That gave her the encouragement she needed to bring her mouth down and gently penetrate his skin with her fangs.

The moment was sensual, and if Damon's bucking of his hips said anything, he was enjoying it. Elena took two long pulls before detaching herself, sputtering and chocking on his tainted blood. Damon saw the look of pain and surprise on her face, her lips stained in his blood as she stumbled off him.

He sat up immediately despite the dizziness of blood loss. "Elena!" he clamored to the floor where she laid choking and gasping for unneeded breath. "What's wrong? Elena?" his voice rose with her lack of response.

Her eyes caught his frightened. "Vervain…get Emily." She rasped.

Damon held her in his arms, unwilling to let her go and unsure of what to do. His head turned to the door that slammed open and stared wide eyed at his father and the officers with him.

"Grab her, restrain her and lock her up, we've got another one." Giuseppe barked his orders from the doorway. The officers pulled Elena out of his arms and roughly bound her arms and legs.

"Damon…" she called out weakly, before they put a contraption over her head to keep her from using her weapon.

"Elena!" he cried, struggling against the men holding him. "Father, no, what are you doing!" he screamed watching as they pulled her out of the room. He moved to go after her but Giuseppe pinning him against the wall, three men holding him there.

"She's a monster Damon!" he hollered. "She seduced you and Stefan with her prowess and you fell for it like a fool!"

Damon shook his head; he knew it was more than that…Elena loved him. "I love her Father, please don't do this." He begged.

Giuseppe shook his head in disgust. "How can you love something like that? I knew she had you fooled that's why I had to take matters into my own hands…tonight she will burn in the church with the rest of them."

Damon's face turned cold and full of rage. "Then I will die with her." He pulled out of the officer's grasp and ran to Emily's room. It was in the lower levels of the boarding house, and he barged in seeing her frantically whipping through the pages of the grimoire. "Emily! They took her…they took Elena." He rushed out. "They're going to burn them in the church."

Emily's eyes met his. She saw the fear and tears slipping down his cheeks and knew she would do what she could to assure him. "Yes I heard. I'm already conjuring up a spell to keep her safe." She told him calmly. "You need not worry, Damon. Go alert Stefan and keep him away from Elena…he doesn't need to get caught up in this." She stated firmly.

Damon nodded, casting one last look at Emily, pleading with his eyes for her to protect her. He ran back to the manor, and searched the house for his brother, but his room was empty and so was the rest of the house. He ran out the front door and stopped for a moment to scope the grounds. In his eagerness to find his brother and his fear for Elena's safety, he didn't notice the carnage going on around him. People were everywhere and in the distance he spotted officers hauling limp bodies into Fell's Church. He ran as fast as he could towards the commotion and caught movement by the edge of the woods. It was Stefan, creeping towards a carriage. He knew immediately that Elena was in there.

He ran down the hill, seeing Stefan punch the officer guarding the carriage and taking his keys off his belt.

"Stefan!" he called out in a hushed tone. "What are you doing?"

Stefan opened the cage. "I'm saving Katherine, we can't let them kill her." He reached in and pulled her out and Damon helped although in the back of his mind he remembered Emily's words.

Bringing Elena's weak body to the ground, Damon and Stefan worked on releasing her from her binds. "Emily is protecting her, Elena will be safe." He told his brother carelessly forgetting to use Katherine's name. He unlocked the cage around her mouth and tossed it to the side.

Stefan frowned, momentarily distracted. "Elena?"

"Damon…?" Elena's fragile voice reached out, opening her eyes and fixing them on him.

He smiled reassuringly. "You're going to be okay, I promise." He vowed, stroking her cheek lovingly. He pulled her into his arms and the brothers headed towards the woods.

A shot rang out and Stefan dropped to the ground. Two more resounded and Damon realized that he had been shot. He dropped to his knees, with Elena still in his arms, hearing her cries. Another shot. He let out a grunted breath as he collapsed to the ground.

Elena crawled over to him, fighting the weakness of the vervain in her system. "No, no…" she whispered to herself as tears tracked down her face. She knew he'd come back, but seeing him dying in front of her was breaking her heart. She touched his face; his eyes and lips his cheeks with trembling hands. "Damon..." she could hear his heart beat fading.

His eyes opened slowly. "I love you Elena…" he whispered reaching up slowly to grip her hand with the last of his strength.

She sobbed, holding his hand in both of hers. "I love you too…I'll be seeing you." She sighed as his eyes closed again and his grip loosened. She was vaguely aware that she was being hauled up and dragged away from Damon, she didn't protest, she just looked at him one last time.

It was all a blur. She was so focused on her last image of Damon dying in her arms to realize she was being thrown in the church. She started to struggle but she was still weak. The doors slammed in her face, and she screamed and hollered for Damon knowing it was a fruitless effort. She looked around her and noticed she was the only one conscious…all the other vampires were carelessly laying on the floor, some wounded, some of the weaker ones ashen with death, and others looking like they were just asleep.

Panic set in. She threw herself at the doors, kicking and punching, sobbing for her life. But she stopped when her nose picked up on something. Smoke. They had set the church on fire. In a matter of seconds she saw a bottle stuffed with a flaming white handkerchief fly through the window igniting the inside of the church with the bright orange flames. She stumbled to get away from the flames that were quickly engulfing the church.

"Elena." A voice resounded and echoed off the walls.

Elena stayed low to the ground, looking around for the owner of that voice. "Emily?"

"Go to the back of the church and find the staircase on the right." Her voice echoed again.

Elena looked around wildly through the smoke and flames. "Where are you?" she called out.

"Go now. Down the staircase is a tomb. Stay there and you will be safe."

The clarity of her voice told Elena that she wasn't here with her. _It must be a spell_ she thought to herself. She got to her feet and as quickly as she could, made her way to the back of the church. She found the stairs but in her haste to get down them she tripped over her skirts and tumbled down them creating a huge gash in her abdomen, tearing her corset open on a sharp edge of rock.

She held her stomach as blood spilled from it, and pushed open the stone wall of the tomb with the other hand. She stumbled in, using both hands to support her on the rock walls. She took a relieved sigh when she realized she was safe from the fire. For extra precaution she sealed herself in with the stone wall and coward to the back of the tomb, huddling up in a corner and bringing her knees in. The pain in her stomach still hurt, and she wasn't able to heal herself as quickly with the vervain still in her system, but she was safe.

She cried silently, listening to the shrieks and screams from the vampires above burning to death. She felt bad for them. No one deserved to die like that…it was so painful and inhumane…yet it was the humans that decided this was their fate. She thought about Damon and Stefan. She knew Emily would protect them as she protected her, but the image of Damon dead in her arms haunted her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! They make me so happy. There's chapter 10 for you, and the next chapter it's back to 2010 with one or two more flashbacks! This story is almost over, I'm thinking maybe two or three more chapters but I've got a big surprise in store for the next chapter so stay tuned!

I know you guys want to know what Katherine is up to in New Orleans but she's not important right now. I'd rather focus on what's happening with Elena, Damon and Stefan so you'll have to wait to find out what's going on with that part of the story.

Next chapter we'll be seeing a change in Damon and Stefan, Stefan especially. And I'm looking forward to writing it, hopefully it turns out good! Thanx for reading guys, and leave me a review or ask me questions about things you're unclear about…I'd be happy to answer them!


	11. Sweet Caroline

Chapter 11: Sweet Caroline

Mystic Falls 2010

Bonnie ran up to the door of the Boarding House about to knock when Damon flung it open. He was on edge having to relive the pain he saw in Elena's eyes as he was dying. It had his stomach in knots; these moments that seemed to mean so much more with Elena than they ever could with Katherine. He loved her more than he ever could Katherine and that scared him more than anything.

He forced a smirk when Bonnie jumped a little at his sudden appearance. "You couldn't have just let me knock could you?" she asked with an annoyed tone.

"Nope." He opened the door for her and followed her into the living room.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and turned to him. "I think I did it. I think I brought her back." She had been trying to bring Elena back to no avail until Damon told her where/when she was it had made it easier to draw her back but of course there were obstacles. Her Grams told her she needed to go back to the place her mind was when she cast the spell, for it would be the key to bringing her back.

She never wanted Katherine to come to Mystic Falls, bringing with her all the pain and destruction; easily misconstrued if one didn't know the whole story. Elena getting sucked in probably had something to do with her energy being used to feed the spell and her connection to Katherine.

She was jarred out of her thoughts at Damon's look of annoyed expectance. "Sorry, what?" she asked.

"How do you know for sure?" he repeated impatiently.

"It's a feeling I have." She said positively. In the time that she and Damon were sharing information she loosened up a bit around him but she still felt like he had ulterior motives.

Damon stalked towards her menacingly. "I need _facts_, not a feeling." He bit out tensely.

Bonnie stood her ground lifting her chin confidently. "When you're a witch a feeling is as good as facts. The spell worked, I'm sure of it." She confirmed with attitude.

Damon widened his eyes dangerously and gestured around him. "Then where is she?"

Bonnie huffed. "I don't know that yet."

Damon was only an inch away from her now, glaring intensely. "Why not?"

She tried to push him away but she ended up pushing herself back; it was like pushing against a brick wall. "The spell didn't come with a diagram and instruction manual Damon!" she yelled heatedly before sighing. "I'm working on it. I need to do a locator spell."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well maybe you should get on that Bonnie…try not to teleport her some time else." He uttered sarcastically.

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief. "Why do you have to be such an asshole?" he she was working her ass off to bring Elena back and he was still so rude to her.

Damon could stop the words that spilled from his mouth. "Because the woman I love is missing and I want her back!" he shouted desperately just needing to get the words out. He sighed in relief. He was waiting for Bonnie to laugh or say he wasn't capable of love, or something about how Elena could never love him back.

Bonnie's face turned stony. "I'm not bringing Elena back for _you_ Damon; I won't let you use her as Katherine either." She vowed strongly. She knew he had some other reason for wanting Elena back.

Damon stared at her offended by her words. He quickly hid it and tightened his jaw in order to keep his control. "I don't want _Katherine_." He ground out brushing past her and up the stairs.

Damon was a mess. His thoughts were all over the place and Elena's name was burned in behind his eyes. He hadn't gained any new memories all day. What did that mean? He was worried whether or not Elena survived the fire he was sure had already happened. Just the thought that she didn't made his eyes tear. He didn't know what to do with himself as all these emotions that he hadn't felt in years came flooding back to him in an intense wave. His walls dropped, and his heart throbbed, as he destroyed his room in a fit of unrestrained anguish.

He threw a punch at the large mirror, smashing it to thousands of pieces instantly; he knocked all the books off the shelves and chucked a shelf across the room smashing the big screen TV. But the pain was still there. He collapsed to the floor at the foot of the bed and tunneled his hands through his hair. What was happening to him?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan was livid. He spent all this time being mad at Katherine for choosing Damon over him when he realized his own girlfriend was the one to pick Damon from the beginning…without even giving him a chance.

Over the past few days Stefan had been drinking human blood wanting to be strong enough to be what Elena needed, when all along it was her telling him that they would never be together and it was always going to be Damon despite his best efforts. With his intake of human blood the memories were slowly coming back and confirmed Damon's explanation of where she was. He remembered his brother calling her Elena the night he tried to save her.

Every moment of uncertainty in her eyes around him, her quick and easy dismissal of his offer to be more than just friends, and the compulsion she used to be rid of him, Stefan grew more angry with her and his brother for letting it happen. The anger took over him to the point of nearly shaking. He was deceived by her and he wanted nothing more than to make the pain go away.

With a deep breath Stefan closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were the coldest green. A small smirk grew on his face as he saw Caroline waltz in the Grill. He willed her to catch his gaze.

When she did his eyes burned into her intensely, his lips curling with a hidden meaning. She walked over to him her gaze never leaving his and stood beside the table. "Hey Stefan, have you seen Elena?" she felt so out of the loop, she hadn't heard from Bonnie either.

"Sit." Stefan compelled easily.

Caroline slipped into the booth across from him. She watched as he tilted his head and studied her openly. "What's going on Stefan? Is Elena okay?" she asked nervously. The way he was looking at her was freaking her out.

Stefan leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Let's forget about Elena…you and I are gonna have some fun, okay?" he relished in how easy it was to control a human when he was drinking human blood.

She nodded. "Okay! What are we going to do?" Caroline questioned innocently.

Stefan snickered. "Well I'm getting pretty hungry…how about a bite?" he offered.

"Sure, I mean we're already here." She replied with a giggle.

Stefan made a show of looking at his menu before folding it and frowning in faux disappointment. "You know, I'm not really hungry for anything here. There's a cute little place I know around the corner…how bout we go there?" he asked condescendingly. It was fun to play with his food.

Caroline blinked. "But there isn't-"

"Let's go." Stefan forced again standing up and offering her his hand. She stood and took it following him out of the Grill reluctantly. He walked around the back of the Grill playfully swinging his hand which was still linked with hers.

To anyone else around they looked like couple sneaking a few minutes to make out.

"This is it?" she questioned. "It's a back alley." She protested.

"I know." Stefan replied. "It's not like I could eat with everyone watching…" he rolled his eyes. "That would be improper."

Caroline back against the wall noticing a vibe coming off him that unsettled her. "What's going on Stefan?" she mumbled shakily.

Stefan stepped closer and placed his finger to her lips. "Shh shh…" he shook his head. "Don't talk. She used me…compelled me. Turned me into what I am for nothing…I can't even be with her." He laughed bitterly. Caroline sobbed silently unable to form words. "My death was meaningless…" the veins around his eyes popped out and his fangs descended. Caroline panted heavily plastering herself to the wall in fear. "And so will yours." He viciously bit down on her neck draining her blood, holding her tightly as she struggled.

He pulled his fangs out gazing at her limp body, her eyes barely open, and changed his mind. He nicked his wrist with his fangs and brought the open wound over her mouth. He would turn her. Then he would force Elena to either damn her or kill her.

As she sputtered trying to turn her head away, Stefan stroked her hair and cooed softly. "It's gonna be okay, Caroline…I'm gonna take _real_ good care of you, I promise." He lied simply with a compassionate voice. "Okay?" when she nodded mutely he smiled and held her face gently. "Good." With a sharp jerk of his wrists he snapped her neck and let her drop to the ground. Crouching down beside her he traced her face with his ringed finger. "Sweet dreams Caroline." He sauntered of whistling the Neil Diamond song 'Sweet Caroline.'

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 1864

Damon woke to the sun beating down on his face. He shielded the light with his arm and noticed a ring on his left hand. He studied it curiously, before sitting up and looking around. He was by the river laying on a porch of an abandoned home.

Emily stepped into view handing him a canteen of water with a small smile.

He took it gratefully. "Where am I?" he guzzled the water quenching his parched throat, but it didn't nothing for the hunger he was feeling.

"You and your brother are safe." She replied, nodding over to Stefan who was still passed out down the porch.

Damon sighed in relief then glanced back up at Emily alarmed. "Elena?"

She nodded happily. "She is too."

Damon shook his head. "But the church…" he trailed off in confusion.

Emily handed him a clean shirt, since his was soaked in blood. "She's in a tomb underneath…I made sure of it." She was very proud at her attempt to save Elena. All they needed to do was release her once the smoldering ash and debris was cleared.

Damon pulled himself to his feet and caught her eyes. "Thank you!" he exclaimed happily.

"You're welcome. You and Stefan are in transition. You need to feed on human blood to complete it." She explained.

Damon nodded. "I remember." He remembered Elena telling him about the process. "Is this...?" he lifted his hand looking at his ring. He remembered the same stone in Elena's necklace.

"So you may walk in the day. Elena requested both you and Stefan possess one."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mystic Falls 2010

Damon woke up to a silent house. Stefan hadn't been around all day yesterday, and there was no sight of him today either. He didn't want to say he was worried…but he was definitely curious.

He didn't bother to clean up the mess he made last night so he moved around the hazards to get to the bathroom for a hot shower. It was then that he was hit with another memory.

_Damon sighed in relief then glanced back up at Emily alarmed. "Elena?"_

_She nodded happily. "She is too." _

_Damon shook his head. "But the church…" he trailed off in confusion. _

_Emily handed him a clean shirt, since his was soaked in blood. "She's in a tomb underneath…I made sure of it."_

His eyes popped open and he shut off the tap. He darted out of the bathroom drying off and before speeding around his room getting dressed. He looked around for his phone quickly, not finding it on any surface. He stopped and rolled his eyes at his own thoughtlessness and picked up his jeans from yesterday, fishing it out of the back pocket. He found Bonnie's number and pressed send. He paced impatiently as it rang.

"Hello?" She was clearly still asleep.

"It's Damon; I got an idea of where she is. Get here ASAP." He hung up before she could say anything else.

He killed the time drinking his bourbon and feeding on the O negative he had stashed in the basement. It took her only ten minutes to get there but it felt like hours.

Bonnie shuffled through the Boarding House not bothering to knock. She looked tired and she was dressed in a simply pair of black yoga pants and light blue hoodie. She made the effort though to come here with the little info he gave her, and he was grateful for that.

Damon smiled slightly when she walked in rubbing her eyes. "Thanks for coming…I know it's early." It was 8:07 on a Saturday morning.

Bonnie nodded then yawned. "So where do you think she is?" she sat down on the couch and watched as Damon poured himself another drink. She was kind of surprised that he even thanked her for coming, but chalked it up to him just being anxious to find her.

Damon tossed back a shot. "We should check the tomb."

Bonnie shook her head in confusion. "What tomb?"

"The one under Fell's Church. If you brought her back she might be in the last place she was in 1864." He explained calmly. In truth he felt bad for blowing up at Bonnie the other day, and she was right…he was an asshole. But he didn't want to be…not if being the man he used to be won him the love of Elena.

The witch frowned. "But the locator spell didn't place her there."

"The locator spell didn't place her anywhere." He corrected simply. She noticed his voice didn't hold the sarcastic edge to it. "We might as well give it a shot."

Bonnie stood and nodded. "Then we better get moving." She headed for the front door and stopped when Damon called out to her.

"Bonnie…" he sighed and met her in the foyer. "I'm sorry…for being such an asshole." He forced out tensely. He just said to Bonnie the two things he told Elena he never said. Thank you and I'm sorry. "You're trying to help and I'm glad you are…I couldn't do it without you." He told her awkwardly. She was after all the only one that could do it.

Bonnie stared at him surprised again. "Yeah…you're welcome." She shook her head and smiled at him. "You love her don't you?"

Damon blinked a couple of times. "Yeah…I do." He whispered. They were silent for a minute, an understanding passing between them.

The slamming of the front door jarred them out of their reverie. "Aw this is cute." Stefan drawled taking off his sun glasses. "Damon, what would Elena think?" he widened his eyes in mock shock.

Damon eyed his brother warily. "Where were you?"

Stefan shrugged. "Just out…enjoying the sunshine." He slipped out of his leather jacket and tossed it carelessly on the coat rack.

The older vampire noticed the way Bonnie was looking at his brother…she seemed uncomfortable with his presence. "Damon and I were just about to go find Elena…I brought her back, we think she's under the Church." The witch tried to get a reaction out of Stefan, he seemed colder than usual.

Stefan gave her a thumbs up. "Good luck with that." He headed towards the parlor but Damon stopped him by pinning him to the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He grabbed his shirt and slammed him against the wall again. "Huh? What's with this new attitude, where were you last night?" he demanded.

Stefan just chuckled. "Is someone trying for the daddy role? You gonna give me a curfew, ground me…lock me in my room?" he taunted with mirth.

Damon smirked back. "Naw…I got a better idea." He grabbed his arm and torn his ring off his finger. "I'm gonna take your ring." Damon raised his eyebrows, before shoving the ring in his pocket. Stefan moved to get it back, but even drinking human blood Stefan was no match for Damon. "You're drinking human blood…and it's clearly making you get back in touch with the old you, which I don't like…so until I get back you're stuck here." He released Stefan pushing him roughly towards the parlor. "Let's go Bonnie." He ushered her out the door and into his car.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon ran down the stairs to the tomb in a blur, Bonnie a few yards behind him. He made quick work of pushing open the stone wall. "Elena?" he hollered running in and searching through the large cave-like tomb.

Elena heard Damon calling her name, and struggled to make her voice work. "Damon…" she rasped inaudibly. She couldn't move. The wound in her stomach was healed but left a dark scar and still ached painfully. The lack of food and water also took it's toll on her and she fought to keep her eyes open.

"'Lena!" Damon called out when he spotted her in the back of the tomb, curled on her side, pale and fragile.

She smiled happily. "Damon." Her voice gained more liveliness when she saw him.

He dropped to his knees and pulled her into his arms gently as to not hurt her. He checked her over for any injuries and frowned in concern at the scar on her stomach. "Elena, thank God you're alive…are you okay?" she nodded burying her head in his chest and cried happy silent tears. "We're gonna get you out of here. Everything is gonna be okay." He soothed her, before cradling her in his arms and carrying her through the tomb.

As he reached the light from the outside world, he saw Bonnie running down the stairs towards the opening of the tomb. "Thank God." She sighed in relief when she saw her friend in Damon's arms. She did it…she really did it, and she wasn't too late.

Damon wasn't able to get any farther than the entrance of the tomb. He frowned and forced himself forward but to no avail. Elena noticed this, and gazed up at him. "What's wrong?" she rasped.

Damon sighed frustrated. "I can't go through…you're gonna have to go with Bonnie, okay?" He lowered her to her feet and Bonnie quickly came up to support her friend.

Elena turned to Damon with scared wide eyes. "What? No! I'm not leaving you in there." She shrieked in dismay.

Damon looked down at her sadly. "You have to…there's a barrier I can't get through, please Elena, you need to go with Bonnie." His voice hitched painfully. He wanted so bad to just hold her and be with her…reassure himself that she was alive and well.

She started crying openly and stumbled back to him, throwing herself in his arms. "I'm not leaving you." She sobbed, holding onto him for dear life.

Damon closed his eyes and kissed the crown of her head soothingly rubbing her back. He's eyes met Bonnie's when he felt tears leak through his shirt. "Please…take her." He whispered.

Bonnie sorrowfully pulled her friend away, which wasn't hard with her weakness. It was clear to her then that whatever happened in 1864 was deep. It was love, on both ends. It was then that she decided that Damon wasn't who she thought he was…if Elena could love him…than she could learn to like him.

"No, Damon…" Elena protested her face streaked with tears.

Damon got as close to her as he could. "I'll be okay, I promise." He nodded trying to reassure her.

Her breathing came out in short uneven spurts. She sniffled. "I'm gonna get you out of here…" she vowed. "You remember, right?" she asked softly, in a hopeful tone.

Damon nodded. "Yes. All of it…every moment." He claimed avidly. They shared a genuine smile.

Bonnie held Elena steady when she lost her balance. "I'll start working on ways to get you out." She promised confidently.

"Thank you…for everything. Make sure she's safe, please." He replied quietly gazing lovingly at Elena as he spoke.

"I will." Bonnie confirmed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bonnie helped Elena to Damon's car and brought her back to her place. She wanted to make sure she was in better shape before sending her home. She quickly gathered a bunch of different things for Elena to eat and a large bottle of water which she promptly guzzled.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked concerned.

Elena crunched on the chips in her mouth. She was so hungry. "Yeah…I'm okay. I just wish Damon wasn't stuck in there." She swallowed hard trying to keep the tears at bay.

Bonnie placed a comforting hand on her leg. "I'll get him out of there Elena…I can promise you that. I'm sorry for sending you there, I guess there was a lot that could possibly go wrong huh?" she joked half heartedly.

Elena smiled and shook her head, turning her body towards her. "Don't be sorry Bonnie…it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Bonnie was happy that she didn't end up ruining her friend's life with her mistake. Elena had already been through enough, and she never wanted to be the cause for her pain. "Listen I had to drive Damon's car back to the Boarding House are you going to be okay here by yourself?" She had to do another thing too but Elena didn't need to know yet.

Elena nodded. "I'm gonna take a shower, and call Jenna…I'll have to make up some bogus excuse as to why I haven't been around in two and a half weeks." She groaned at the thought of having to lie.

Bonnie smiled. "I covered for you as best I could. I told Jenna that you were staying here while my dad was gone…to keep me company. You might still have to explain some things though." She winced a little in sympathy for Elena. "I shouldn't be long okay."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She parked Damon's Camero and slammed the car door as she stormed up to the Boarding House. She didn't knock. With her powers she forced open the double doors and stomped into the living room where the music was playing. Stefan was lounging around on the couch watching as Caroline jumped up and down dancing and singing along to the music in a tank top and booty shorts.

Bonnie ran over to her and pulled her off the coffee table. "Caroline, what the hell?" she shouted over the music. She sharply focused her eyes on the stereo making it short circuit.

Caroline screamed. "Whoa…Bonnie? When did you get here?" Bonnie noticed the glassy look in her eyes.

Bonnie gripped her friend hard. "Grab your stuff and wait for me in the car. Go!" she shouted when she didn't move.

Stefan didn't even move. "No…I think she should stay. Don't you wanna stay Care?" he asked her patronizingly.

Caroline smiled brightly. "Yeah!" she turned to Bonnie. "I wanna stay."

Bonnie huffed and threw open the curtains watching Stefan dart into a shaded area. "Caroline, go to the car." She stressed demandingly. The blonde grabbed her things and did as Bonnie asked. Her eyes stayed trained on Stefan who was smirking at her in the patch of sunlight.

"Where's my ring?" he asked.

Bonnie smirked back. "With Damon. You won't be seeing it again."

Stefan crossed his arms. "And why is that?"

"Because you're going to leave Mystic Falls and you're not going to come back. There's nothing for you here anymore." She threatened.

"Give me my ring and I'll go." He replied with a shrug.

Bonnie shook her head. "Sorry, I can't do that…see Damon is locked in the tomb under Fell's Church and I can't get to it." She lied. "Looks like you're shit out of luck." She snickered.

Stefan growled loudly throwing a vase off the table beside him towards Bonnie. She stopped it, holding her hand out in front of her and then moving it to the side before letting it drop and smash on the floor well away from her. "I'll give you until sun down to leave. If you don't I will hunt you down and kill you myself…and down think I won't." she threatened darkly. She was confident in her heritage now. All her practicing and focusing on saving Elena helped her hone in on her true power.

Stefan was smirking again. It was weird to see considering he barely smiled before. "What about Caroline?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "What about Caroline?"

Stefan shrugged shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well she's gonna need someone to turn to, someone that understands. She's in transition…" his words held a boastful quality, like he was proud of his work.

She couldn't believe it. "You turned her." She stated looking at him in disgust.

He let his eyes roam the room, stepping right up to the division of dark and light. "Sorta…she's dead. But it'll be Elena's decision whether or not she stays that way. It's too bad I have to leave town…I was looking forward to seeing the show." He faked a look of discontent shaking his head sadly.

Bonnie seethed. How dare he? She inflicted pain on his the best way she knew how; making his brain cells pop over and over and over again. She watched with pleasure as he dropped to the ground clutching his head in agony. "Leave town as soon as the sun goes down…if I see you again I'll end you." She glared coldly at him making sure she continued to hurt him as she stormed back out the doors slamming them hard behind her.

She hopped in the car and turned to Caroline who was sitting obediently in the passenger's seat. Her friend was dead, but yet he she was sitting beside her. She pulled Caroline into a hug and held her tightly. "Everything is going to be okay Caroline. You're safe now."

The blonde looked at Bonnie with confusion. "What's happening to me?" she could feel her body going through changes; the burning the sun did to her eyes, the prickling of her skin, and the aching in her stomach and throat.

"I'll explain everything when I get you home okay?" she told her gently, before pulling out of the driveway and down the road.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: so a couple surprises for you which I hope you enjoyed. Caroline was a split decision idea that came to me as I was writing but everything else had been plotted beforehand. I've been working on this chapter all day because your reviews inspired me so much. I didn't even know how long this chapter was until I finished it haha. Please review and ask any questions you have!

Love you guys!

Vanessa


	12. Our Room

Chapter 12: Our Room

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena trudged up the stairs exhausted later that night. She got an impromptu parental lecture from Jenna when she got home from Bonnie's. _You're supposed to be the responsible one. Why didn't you call? You can't just disappear for weeks at a time, Elena! I can't do this on my own. _Elena sat there quietly as Jenna ranted for a whole two hours, too tired and worn out to plead her case.

She accepted her punishment; school and then straight home for a week and no sleepovers. She didn't protest, knowing that regardless she was going to see Damon.

She entered her room and flicked on her bedroom light, chasing away the darkness. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the figure standing in the middle of her room. She held back the scream but couldn't stop herself from jumping back. "Stefan…" she breathed out. There was something about the way he was standing there so still, the way his eyes seemed black, as opposed to their usual green. How he said nothing, but continued to stare her down. "I've had a long night and I'm tired…please leave." When he didn't move, Elena mentally slapped herself for thinking that she could still compel him. _Old habits…_ "Stefan please…can we talk in the morning?" she tried again.

Stefan stalked closer to her. "What did you do to her?" he demanded in an oddly composed voice.

Elena stepped back. "To who? Stefan what are you talking about?" her voice wobbled when her back hit the door. There were only a few inches between them now.

"Katherine!" he slammed his hand against the wall beside her head and Elena jumped in fear. "What did you do to her?" he yelled in her face.

She tried to mold herself to the door behind her as her chest rose and fell quickly. "Nothing…" she said urgently. "I didn't do anything to her I promise." Elena rushed out.

Stefan backed up, still glaring hard at her. "Then where is she? Why is she not here?"

Elena let out a sigh of relief when there was some space between them. She really hoped Stefan's yelling didn't draw Jenna's attention. "I-I think…" she stuttered. "When I replaced her it changed history." She explained quietly, frightened for what Stefan was going to do after hearing her next words. "She never came to Mystic Falls, Stefan…she never met you or Damon."

Stefan sped up to her pinning her to the door again with his hand around her throat. "Because of you." He whispered menacingly.

Elena frantically clawed at his hand with her fingers trying to release his grip, but he was much stronger than her. "I didn't do this on purpose!" she gasped stealing a breath of air. A vein bulged in her forehead at the pressure. "It was a mistake…" she gasped again, pleading with him with her eyes to let her go. And he did. He pushed himself away from her and paced her room tunneling his hands through his hair. "Its better this way…she can't hurt anyone here." She knew she should have kept her big mouth shut, but it just slipped out. Elena expected him to come at her again, but he just laughed bitterly.

"I don't care! I want her _back_!" he stressed with a desperation in his eyes that she saw only once before. "Of course you think its better this way, you and Damon got what you wanted." He calmed down and looked at the floor in sorrow. "All I want is Katherine and she doesn't even know who I am." He admitted quietly.

Stefan knew that every memory he had of 'Katherine' was really of Elena, but he knew deep down that there was something…missing from his life and it had to do with Katherine. His old memories mixed with his new ones and it was confusing him.

"I'm sorry Stefan." She said honestly.

"Stop it!" he seethed. "Stop acting like you care; you don't, so just _stop_!" he ground out tensely.

Elena took a tentative step forward. "I am sorry…I'm sorry that because of me she's gone from you life." She took another step closer. "You should look for her." She wanted to get him out of this town. Clearly he was unstable and without Damon around and with Stefan having an all access pass to her house she didn't feel safe.

The vampire's jaw tensed and his eyes callously pinned hers. "You'd like that wouldn't you? Get rid of me just like you did in 1864." Stefan quirked his lips up in a half sneer and shook a finger at her. "You know…I didn't wanna tell you before because it was convenient to have you around." He stalked closer to her again, cupping her face in his hands faking compassion. He bent slightly catching her eyes when she gasped in fear. "But the truth is Elena…the only reason I ever pursued you was because of Katherine." He whispered maliciously and then tilted his head to the side. "It was always about Katherine." Stefan stroked her cheek with the back of his knuckles before dropping his hands and sighing dramatically. "Wow that felt good to get off my chest." He exclaimed with an impish grin.

Elena stayed as still as she could, trying to control her rapid breathing. "Good, that's good Stefan." Her voice cracked slightly and she swallowed nervously. "Then you should go…be with Katherine." She suggested calmly. Elena knew the best way to go about this was to stay calm and not say anything that could anger him. "Maybe-maybe if you find her you can make her remember you…you can have her back." she encouraged.

Stefan just stared at her. "Gee Elena, I had no idea it was that simple." He stated acidly as he rolled his eyes and sauntered towards the window. "Oh!" he turned around. "I almost forgot…Caroline; she's gonna be going through some _major_ changes now that she's in transition. And you, my dear Elena, get to decide whether or not she completes it. Sweet dreams." He winked and in an instant he was gone.

Elena quickly pulled out her phone and called Caroline. She had no idea what to do. Her first instinct was to call Damon but that wasn't an option. Elena couldn't imagine Caroline not being around anymore, she couldn't imagine not hearing her bubbly voice or her bright smile. She knew in her heart that her decision was already made. She would show Caroline how she would need to survive as a vampire…and hopefully Damon could too.

"Hello?" Caroline answered shakily.

"Care…thank God you're okay. Did Stefan hurt you?" she asked urgently pacing her room.

Caroline nodded and looked at Bonnie with a sad smile. "Yeah…Bonnie's here. She told me everything." She answered somberly, pulling at the threads on her bed while Bonnie rubbed her back soothingly.

Elena sat on the edge of her bed and placed a hand to her forehead. "Caroline I'm so sorry…Stefan should have never involved you in this."

"It's okay…it's not like I'm dead or anything. Or wait am I?" she asked curiously.

Elena shook her head in mild amusement. _Classic Caroline_. "Technically, yes. Care…there's something you have to do…to complete the transition you need-"

"To drink human blood…I know. Gross, by the way. I couldn't even imagine." She exclaimed.

Elena tucked the phone under her ear and changed into her pajamas. "You'll get used to it. Once the transition is complete it'll become natural for you." She tucked herself into bed and quickly braided her hair to one side.

Caroline frowned. "How do you know all this stuff?"

Elena chuckled. "Did Bonnie tell you where I was for the past two and a half weeks?"

"Eighteen-sixty something, a chick named Katherine and you taking her place…that's all I got." Caroline rattled off.

"A story for another time. Listen I gotta go, Jenna's trying for the whole parental thing and if she caught me on the phone she'd flip. I've got to see Damon tomorrow, but you should stop by after and I'll fill you in on everything." The friends said goodbye before hanging up. Elena turned off her bedside lamp and rested her head on her pillow. She was surprised by how well Caroline was taking it, but chalked it up to shock; the reality of it would sink in tomorrow. She tossed and turned and sighed in frustration. Every time she closed her eyes she would see Damon locked in that tomb; all alone, no blood to drink and no idea how he was getting out. She would see him tomorrow before Jenna came home.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena sleepily wandered into the kitchen watching Jenna rush around organizing papers. "Morning." She mumbled.

Jenna smiled back. "Morning, Elena. I'm off to go meet Mr. Gibson's about the office; hopefully he's serious about it unlike the last one." She huffed as she swung her purse over her shoulder.

Elena lazily poured herself a coffee and sat at the island sipping it slowly. "How long are you going to be gone for?" she asked pryingly.

Jenna gave her a hard look. "A couple hours…don't you go taking off now, and sneaking back before I come home, I know all the tricks." She didn't want to be so hard on her but she needed to put her foot down if she was ever gonna get treated like their parent instead of just cool Aunt Jenna.

Elena shook her head. "I won't Aunt Jenna. I've got a lot of homework to do anyways." She placated. The truth was she did have a lot of homework she was sure, but she had way bigger problems to think about than school, like getting Damon out of the tomb and dealing with Stefan.

Jenna nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later." She grabbed the rest of her things and rushed out the door to the car.

Elena ran up the stairs to get ready. She threw on a pair of her light blue comfy jeans and a dark green v-neck, quarter sleeve shirt. She combed her hair out quickly and brushed her teeth.

Jeremy ambled in sleepily rubbing at his eyes. "Morning…it's about time you came home." He grumbled. He was a little upset with his sister for taking off like that, but he was happy that she was back.

Elena rinsed her mouth out. "I know…I'm sorry Jer, but Stefan was creeping me out and staying with Bonnie was the best option." She applied a little mascara.

Jeremy frowned. "And now? You know I caught him outside lookin at your window while you were gone…it's like he's stalking you Elena." He stated concerned.

Elena turned around and caught her brother's eyes. "He's gone now…there's nothing to worry about, okay?" when Jeremy nodded she smiled and gave him a tight hug. "I got to go…if Jenna asks I went to the library for a book or something." She hurried back into her room and grabbed her car keys and her purse.

Jeremy followed her into her room. "I thought she said you were grounded?" he chuckled.

Elena rolled her eyes at the term. She never got grounded. "I am, but I've got things to do. So please, be a good brother and lie for me." She smiled and ran down the stairs. She slipped on her converse in relief and jumped in her car. Her first stop was the Boarding House. Elena needed to see if Damon had any blood in the house that she could bring him.

When she got there, she threw the car in park and ran up the driveway. The door was unlocked thankfully and Elena cautiously entered the house. It was a mess; shattered glass, and broken furniture cluttered the living room. She stepped around it and moved towards the stairs, running her hand up the railing as she did.

When she reached the top of the stairs she looked at the doors wondering which one was Damon's. The door of one of the rooms was open and decided to check there. Elena pushed open the mahogany door and gasped at the condition of the room. A flat screen TV was smashed; there were shards of a mirror twinkling on the floor and books were scattered everywhere, open and ruined. The entire space was destroyed; everything but the large four post bed in the middle. She tip-toed around the shattered mirror and lay curled up on in a ball on the side she assumed Damon slept on. She knew this was his room…the pillows smelt of him. Elena took a moment to glance around, and to look out the window from her spot on the bed. She knew this room…she'd been here before.

It was the room she stayed in, in 1864. Damon's room was her room. It made her smile, but she knew she couldn't waste anymore time. She got off the bed and went to his closet, grabbing a black t-shirt and a pair of black jeans.

"Now if I were a vampire where would I stash my blood?" she asked herself looking around the room. She figured either the kitchen or the basement. She skipped down the stairs and checked the fridge…nothing, the freezer…nothing. "It's always in the last place you look." She mumbled to herself before finding the entrance to the basement. It was a maze down there with all of the hallways and doorways. She ran by an opening glancing in quickly before stopping and rushing to the large white container. She threw open the lid and smiled. "Jackpot." She grabbed two bags of blood and dashed to the car again.

She was desperate to get to Damon and make sure he was okay. She knew he said he would be fine, but she knew he was just saying that to make her feel better about going with Bonnie. She knew what it was like to be stuck in there…it was dark and dank and dirty. She broke every speed limit on the way to the old church and detoured from the main road to avoid Jenna seeing her car.

She parked the car and grabbed the bags of blood and the clothes, making her way down the stairs into the cave. "Damon?" she called out reaching the barrier.

Damon sauntered out from around the corner his sleeves rolled up, his black clothes dirty and dusty. "Hey." He mumbled with a smile. He acted as casual as possible as if it was no big deal for him to be stuck in there.

Elena smiled brightly happy to see him. "Hey…I brought you some blood." She tossed the bags through the barrier and he caught them easily. "I found a stash in the cellar." She explained. "And a change of clothes." She handed those to him as well and he placed them on a ledge.

Damon sighed gratefully. "Thanks." He eagerly brought the first bag to his lips and drank it down quickly. He tossed the other one to the side for later. For a long while they just stared at each other, not knowing what to say and wanting to say so much at the same time. "You should be at home resting…Jenna's probably worried about you." Damon suggested with a concerned frown. He was really happy to see her face, but it was better for her not to be here.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Bonnie was covering for me and I'm fine…I'm more worried about how you're doing." She took a step towards the opening. The distance between them was killing her.

He nodded with a shrug. "I'll live…I'm just glad you're back." his eyes caressed her face.

"I meant it you know…what I said before your father took me away." She blurted out of nowhere.

Damon nodded slowly. "So did I."

Elena shifted her weight nervously as she played with her hands. "Do you now?" her heart pounded in anticipation of his answer.

Damon gave her a look of tormented anguish. "I tried not to…because it's better for you if I don't." he choked out looking down at his boots.

Elena shook her head in confusion. "Why?"

Damon caught her eyes again. "I'm not safe for you to be around." He admitted sadly. He loved her, but he still remembered everything he did to her and how he killed her friends and how ultimately he had failed her.

"I don't care." She exclaimed loudly. "And neither do you…you want to be with me and badly as I want to be with you, and you know it." She stated forcefully.

Damon stepped as close to the barrier as he could, looking down at her with wide angry eyes. "Everyday you're with me is putting you in danger!" he barked back. He wasn't angry with her…he was angry at himself for being so weak to her, angry for not being strong enough to walk away for her safety.

But Elena didn't stand down. She kept her gaze pinned on him; her face unwavering and her tone defiant. "Danger from what?"

"From me!" He huffed loudly in frustration. "I'm a vampire, it's who I am, and I can't change that! I drink human blood to survive!" he articulated slowly with unrestrained pain and defeat.

Elena smiled kindly. "I know…I had to too Damon, remember? It's in your nature…I understand it now, and I won't hold it against you." She saw Damon relax, the tension leaving his shoulders. "If you think I'm walking away now after everything I did to make sure you'd be here to come home to than you're crazy. I love you. I meant it then and I mean it now." She could see the awe and bliss on his face just like every other time she expressed her love for him. She shrugged, continuing her rant. "If you don't love me back than tell me and I'll walk away." Her voice hitched a little and she swallowed hard. "But if you do…I'll never leave." She stated simply, tears collecting in her eyes. She was well aware that she was leaving her heart open on the floor between them for it to either get stomped on or for him to keep for himself, but she had to let him hear it now.

Damon face contorted in anguish. "Elena please don't do this." He whispered shaking his head. "I'm no good for you." He confessed dejectedly.

"Then why do I feel like this?" she asked him urgently. "Why do I feel like nothing else matters? Why do I feel like the world stops when I'm with you?" she fired back quickly, unable to stop the tears than fell.

Damon cracked a half smile. "That was kinda cheesy." There was no sarcasm in his voice; it was quiet and filled with adoration.

Elena sighed in annoyance and wiped away her tears and turning her head away. "Don't try and be funny right now Damon." She mumbled before sniffling.

"You called me out once." He replied in the same soft spoken tone. His smile widened when her head shot up. "It was only fair."

Elena laughed through her tears. "I guess you're right."

They continued talking quietly, sitting on either side of the barrier. She told him about Caroline and how Stefan had turned her. Elena didn't want to worry Damon with the Stefan problem just yet. She knew that if she told him that Stefan had visited her last night and how he had attacked her Damon would be livid, and she didn't see the point in telling him something he could do nothing about.

She hoped that Stefan left. She wasn't even safe in her own house if he stayed. Instead she told him that she hadn't seen or heard from him since she'd been back and Damon seemed to buy it.

"What about Caroline?" Damon asked hesitantly. He didn't want to upset Elena, but he wanted to know what she planned to do.

Elena sighed. "What about her?"

Damon leaned his back against the rock wall. "Well she's in transition now; she doesn't have much time before her body starts to die. I know she's your friend and the thought of losing her-"

"I'm gonna help her complete the transformation. I can't just let her die Damon…I would never be able to forgive myself. Stefan did this to get back at me for choosing you. I'm the reason she got caught up in this, so I need to help her." She explained fiddling her hands in her lap. "I'll teach her what I can until we get you out." Her eyes caught his again. "But she's gonna need someone to guide her through it." She didn't need to say anymore because Damon was already nodding his agreement to the idea.

"Okay…here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Stefan's ring. "Give her this. At least she'll be able to go out during the day." He rolled it over the barrier and Elena picked it up and slipped it him her jean pocket.

"Thanks." She smiled at him, wanting to kiss him and hold him and show him how much she loved him, but she knew that he would never let her enter the cave. She knew there was still something holding Damon back from being with her, and until he figured that out he was keeping her at a safe distance. Maybe it was guilt; maybe it was fear…she didn't know. "I saw you're room today; it was a mess." She admitted softly with a light chuckle.

Damon dropped his head in embarrassment. "Yeah…I kinda lost it for a minute. I was worried you didn't make it out of the Church." His voice was low and sad, and his eyes held a sorrow she rarely saw there.

Elena scooted closer to him hesitantly, hoping he wouldn't reject her need to be close to him. Damon just stared at her as she tucked herself under one of his arms and rested her head and hand on his chest. They both sighed in relief and Damon held her tighter molding her body to his. "It was my room Damon." She stated. "Your room was my room."

Damon kissed the top of her head. "I know." It was an answer to an unspoken question. A metaphor for the connection and love they had for one another. Every night she was sleeping in that room, somewhere in the future Damon was laying there beside her, unknowingly sharing the bed with her. They stayed that way for a while, basking in the comfort of each others presence. "You shouldn't be going to the Boarding House anymore…it's not safe for you there, not with Stefan hanging around."

Elena lifted her head to look at him with a frown. "The blood is at the Boarding House Damon…I have to." Just then her phone buzzed and Elena reached into her pocket to read the text. It was from Jeremy.

_Jenna told me she'd be home in an hour…better hurry up at the 'library'. :P_

Elena sighed in disappointment. She wanted to stay, but she still had to see Caroline before going home.

"You have to go, don't you?" it was more of a statement than a question.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, I have to see Caroline before Jenna gets home. I'm grounded." she grumbled then pouted when Damon chuckled. "I'll be back tomorrow though I promise." She leaned up and kissed him softly and slowly, savoring the familiar feel of his lips on hers.

Damon caressed her face with his thumb, resting his forehead on hers. "Please be careful." He whispered.

"I will." She kissed him one last time, pushed herself to her feet and stepped over the threshold.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A little later Elena and Caroline stepped into the Boarding House. Elena could sense her friend's hesitance as they walked past the living room towards the cellar. "It's okay Care…Stefan's gone. You don't need to worry about him anymore." She placed a comforting hand on Caroline's arm and led her down the stairs.

"I know…it just feels weird being here." She explained, standing awkwardly next to her in front of the cooler. "It's like I remember being here…but I don't. Does that make sense?" the blonde asked cocking her head to the side.

Elena nodded. "Yes…in the cooler are bags of blood. Have one and-"

"Call you in the morning?" Caroline joked with an arched brow.

Elena smiled. "Call me when you feel better." She hugged her and moved towards the stairs.

The blonde frowned and turned around to look at Elena. "What? You're leaving?" At Elena's lack of response Caroline nodded in understanding. "You think I'm gonna hurt you."

"It's just a precaution. The blood might affect you differently…I'm sorry Caroline." She said sincerely. She wanted to be there for her through the transformation, but one of the things her and Damon talked about was the affect the blood can have during the first transition.

"_You can't be there Elena…Caroline has to do this on her own." Damon stated._

"_I can't not be there, Damon she's my friend; I can't let her go through that on her own."_

"_Blood affects us all differently. Some handle it better than others. She could hurt you…just stay somewhere safe."_

Elena paced nervously in the parlor room. She could hear Caroline moaning in pain as she made the transition and wanted to do nothing more than run down there and comfort her. But Damon's words resounded in her head. Elena stopped pacing when the moaning stopped, only to be replaced with crying. She stepped closer to the cellar and but made no move to go down there.

"Elena?" Caroline appeared in front of her, her face stained with tears.

Elena pulled her into a hug, stroking her back soothingly. "It's okay Caroline…everything's gonna be okay."

Caroline pulled away and wiped her tears with her sleeve. "Is this gonna happen every time?" her voice was raspy and strained.

Elena shook her head. "No…it won't be painful." She led her back into the parlor room to give her a drink and to explain what to expect now that she turned. Caroline's hand caught the light and she darted into the shadows. It took Elena by surprise, not used to her moving so quickly. "I'm sorry…here." She pulled the ring out of her pocket and tossed it to Caroline. "It let's you go into the sun…I know it's big but it's only temporary."

Caroline slipped it on her thumb and stepped cautiously into the light. "Cool."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gaston, North Carolina

Stefan sat idly in a dark hotel room. He was furious. No ring, no Katherine and no Elena. Never had he been reduced to waiting out the sun…it was intolerable. He was following a trail and using whatever resources he could to find Katherine, and a tip had him heading towards Louisiana. Usually it would only take him ten hours breaking every speed limit, but with having to stop for shelter it would take longer.

A knock sounded on the door. Stefan smirked. "Dinner's here." He opened the door, careful not to let the light touch him.

The delivery guy frowned in confusion when no one appeared on the other side. "Uh…that'll be fifteen fifty." He mumbled, trying to peek in.

"Why don't you come inside…the light's a little bright. Still hung over." He chuckled for the added effect.

The young man chuckled in response. "I here ya man." He stepped inside and placed the pizza on the little table, looking around for the occupant of the room.

"Thanks…I'm starving." Stefan lunged at him from across the room, savagely biting down into his neck, drinking every drop of blood his body had to offer.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Orleans

Katherine planted one last kiss on the man's lips before hopping off him. "Gotta go, I've got a date."

Mason leaned up on his elbows watching as Kat got dressed, a sad look on his face. "Why do you always have to go back to him…why can't I have you to myself?" he questioned. He'd only been seeing Kat for a few months but already he was falling for her. But of course, he wasn't the only one. He knew it was crazy and there was no logical reason for a vampire and a werewolf to be hooking up but she captivated him.

Katherine smirked sexily. "Because I'm the one that makes all the rules." The words sounded strangely familiar as they tumbled from her lips. She frowned before quickly shrugging it off. "You're not the only one that wants me, you know." She crawled back on top of him, her hair falling over one shoulder. "You have to share me."

Mason reached up and stroked her cheek. "Don't wanna." He teased.

She giggled. "Aw, you know I love you." The lie easily slipped from her lips; a lie that she had practiced many times in her years.

Mason's lips brushed against hers. "Then stay." He whispered.

Katherine pulled back. "Can't. Date, remember?" She climbed off of him and slipped on her heels. "I'll call you when I'm done." She fixed her hair and blew him a kiss, leaving the hotel room with a sway to her hips.

Her date wasn't with Julian like Mason thought. It was with Lucy. She needed to know why she kept seeing those men…one in particular and why even though she'd never been there, Mystic Falls, Virginia felt like home.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Thank you for all you're reviews guys! I love them…here's a nice long chapter for you…hopefully it will make up for the TVD absence. We have to wait until April 7th? RIDICULOUS! Anyways, I wanna hear what you think about the Katherine situation and if you think Stefan's gonna end up finding her. How much longer is Damon gonna stay in the tomb and how are they gonna get him out? Ask away…aaaaaand GO!

Vanessa


	13. An Unpleasant Arrangement

Chapter 13: An Unpleasant Arrangement

Wednesdays. She hated Wednesdays; the middle of the week. She'd been visiting Damon everyday for three days but she was starting to worry. She gazed down at the cooler in the cellar. One bag left. She sighed tunneling a hand through her hair.

She had no idea what to do…Bonnie was hard at work trying to find a way to get Damon out but the text was complicated she said. Everything was complicated. Jenna was not happy with her disappearing act on Sunday, although Jeremy's vow of her going to the library helped, it didn't stop the lecture she got when Elena got home. _Three more days until this grounding thing ends,_ she thought to herself. Caroline was adjusting to being a vampire and feeding off of animals, and Damon was stuck in the tomb, with only one more bag to hold him over until they got him out.

She grabbed the crimson sack and headed towards the tomb. This was usually the routine. She'd wake up, wait until Jenna left and then head to the Boarding House. Elena would grab him blood, maybe refill his flask with scotch and go to the tomb. She would visit for a while before going to the rest of her classes and stopping by again before going home.

"Damon?" Elena called out not seeing him at all. "Damon please come out."

He had made a habit of hiding sometimes; not wanting to worry Elena with what he must look like. Even with a pint of blood a day he wasn't up to his full strength, and he could feel his body weakening. "Don't you have school?" He called back as he pushed himself to his feet. "You shouldn't be here."

Elena indulgently rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well I am so deal with it." Everyday he would question her about school and she would give him the same reply every time. She heard the scuffling of his boots on the dirt before he appeared before her. He was positively rumpled. His black beater and jeans were covered in the dusty dirt of the tomb, his hair looking mussed and his skin paler than usual.

Elena's look must have said it all because Damon spoke first. "Do I really look that bad?" There aren't any mirrors here." He made a show of glancing around before his roguish eyes caught hers.

Elena exhaled the breath she was holding and smiled. "You just look restless and…disheveled." She fished for words. She knew that he wasn't getting enough blood; the pallor of his skin was enough to tell her that. "How long can you last in here without blood?" Elena asked as she stepped closer handing him the bag. His hand was ice cold.

Damon shrugged casually as he handled it. He wanted to drink but he was too hungry to drink in front of her. He didn't want to make a fool of himself. "I still have a decade or two before my body shuts down completely." His flippant tone was to assure Elena that he wasn't worried, but the truth was he was going crazy in there. He was worried about what Stefan would do to Elena on his new diet. He already killed Caroline…and with him stuck in this God forsaken tomb he couldn't protect her from him.

Elena sighed in relief but regretted the fact that she'd have to tell him there was no more blood. "We'll get you out long before that happens." She shoved her hands into her back pockets. "That's the last of the blood in your stash, Damon." She admitted quietly.

Damon frowned in confusion. "Really? Stefan must have gotten into it, the bastard…he better re-stock it or I'll-"

"Stefan's gone." Elena blurted out hesitantly. "Bonnie said he took off a couple days ago."

Damon scoffed slightly surprised. "Where'd he go, he seemed happy to play the annoying spoilt little brother role for a while." He grumbled, but feeling at ease with Elena's safety.

"He went to look for Katherine." She explained simply.

Damon rolled his eyes skyward. "What an idiot."

Elena shrugged. "He loves her…" She closed the distance between them giving him a half smile and looking at him from under her lashes. "Sometimes love makes you act like an idiot; like coming to a tomb everyday to deliver blood to a vampire."

Damon arched a brow and then quirked his lips in a smile. "Or getting trapped in a tomb to save a human?" he fired back ironically, before brushing the hair out of her face affectionately.

"Something like that." She smiled happily as she wrapped her arms around him. She didn't even care that she would get dirty…she just wanted to hold him. Elena felt Damon rest his chin on her head after softly placing a kiss of affection to her silky tresses.

Damon couldn't help but the love the slip of a woman in his arms. Most would consider her a girl, given her age, but he could only describe her as a woman. Elena opened him up to things he never thought he could have again; she made him feel emotions he had shut out for years and given him something back that he thought was long gone. His humanity.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After her visit with Damon, Elena trudged through the rest of her classes making up an excuse for why she was late…again. She fingered the necklace Damon gave her fondly as she listened to her teacher drone on. It was her last class and there was only ten minutes left…ten long minutes. Elena only had an hour to meet with Bonnie and Caroline before Jenna got home and they had a lot to discuss.

When the bell rang she shot out of her seat and hastily made her way to her locker. She saw Bonnie rushing towards her as she pulled her bag over her shoulder. "Hey…where's Caroline?" Elena asked not seeing her blonde friend.

Bonnie gave an awkward smile. "She said she wasn't ready to be around everyone yet…she's meeting us at your house." She walked out to Elena's car and raced back to the Gilbert house.

When they got out Caroline was standing on the front porch with a giddy smile on her face. "Did you know it only takes me fifty four seconds to get from my house to your house?" She waited until they were all inside before continuing. "I'm _loving_ this vampire thing, but Stefan's ring is cramping my style." She complained looking at it distastefully.

Bonnie and Elena shared a laugh. "Don't worry," Bonnie started. "I'll spell you one…one that suits you better." She chuckled.

"Thank God!" she looked skyward then frowned and cocked her head. "Or wait; is that against some vampire code? Do I need to stay away from crosses and holy water?" she asked half sarcastically as she plopped down on the couch.

Elena shook her head. "Not a threat…a stake through the heart is fatal though. Vervain weakens you and it's painful…" she recalled sitting down beside her. "But it won't kill you."

Bonnie grabbed the grimoire that she left in Elena's room and quickly started looking for anything that might help get Damon out. She looked through the grimoire while Elena filled Caroline in on the basics.

"I'm hungry." Caroline huffed. "How much longer do I have to drink animal blood for, it tastes funny." She grumbled her complaint with a pout. She wanted to drink the blood she first tasted.

Elena put away the sprig of vervain that she was showing her friend. "When Damon gets out of the tomb he can help you. Drinking animal blood you're not as strong as you need to be." She knew from Stefan's experience it was better to drink human blood and control the urges than to boycott it and suffer the consequences.

Caroline threw her a sympathetic glance. "How is Damon doing?"

Elena shrugged shoving her hands into her back pockets. "He says he's fine but I don't buy it. I gave him the last of the blood he had…he's gonna have to go without until we can get him out." She trailed off quietly.

"Well can't we get more?" Caroline questioned curiously. "The blood bank…I can zip in and out before anyone can see me." She piped up cheerfully.

Elena smiled slightly. "I wish it were that easy, Care, but you need to use compulsion and in order for it to stick you need to be on a healthy diet of human blood." She explained casually as Caroline followed her into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water, and sipped it slowly.

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "You know way too much about this stuff." The two shared a laugh before turning to see Bonnie standing in the doorway holding the grimoire.

Elena pushed off the counter and cast a worried glance at her friend. "What is it Bonnie?"

"I think I found something. It's a little complicated." Bonnie quickly laid the book out on the island and the three girls stood around the counter. "The barrier keeping Damon in the tomb needs blood. It's what sealed the tomb a hundred and forty five years ago so it needs the same blood to crack it." The witch explained pointing to a handwritten blurb on the parchment.

Elena's brows knitted in deep thought. "How do you know all this?"

Bonnie quirked a half smile. "Emily logged it all in the grimoire. I couldn't understand it at first because it was in a different language." She flipped to another page.

Caroline leaned over Bonnie's shoulder to read the text. "Did you translate it?" 

"It translated itself." She clarified quietly before turning back to the volume in front of her. "One problem…only _petrova_ blood," she pronounced the word slowly in uncertainty. "can break the barrier." She finished catching Elena's eyes.

Elena leaned over and read the part in the grimoire that stated just that. "What's petrova blood?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Not a clue. It could be someone or something…I haven't figured it out yet." she finished. When the front door opened and closed, Bonnie quickly closed the grimoire and put it on the table behind them, covering it with her sweater and purse.

"Hello?" Jenna called out as she entered tossing her keys on the table by the door. She walked into the kitchen and saw Elena, Caroline and Bonnie all starring at her with bright smiles. "Hi guys…Elena." She greeted before arching a brow at her niece.

"Hey Jenna…we were just doing a last minute cram for our test tomorrow." Bonnie supplied quickly as she stood and grabbed her sweater and purse from the table, carefully concealing the volume.

"Yeah!" Caroline chimed in. "It's worth thirty percent of our grade." Caroline stood also and called out a quick goodbye before fleeing.

Elena sheepishly caught Jenna's eyes. "I know I wasn't aloud to have friends over but it was regarding school Aunt Jenna." She explained taking in the unimpressed look on her face.

"I know…that's why I'm not gonna make a big deal out of it." She peeled her coat off and tossed it over the chair. "But that doesn't mean you're getting off easy…you really had me worried Elena." Jenna stated pointedly, talking about the incident that got her grounded in the first place.

Elena sighed deeply. "I'm sorry Aunt Jenna. I really am…I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to worry you." She apologized sincerely. She wished she could come up with something, anything to justify her 'lack of responsibility', but everything that she could think of wouldn't cut it and the truth was too crazy to believe.

Jenna nodded then stood across the island from her niece. "I get it, Elena…breaking up with your boyfriend, losing your parents…" she trailed off watching as Elena locked her eyes on the counter. "It's hard…it's hard for all of us, but rebelling is not gonna make it any easier." She stated softly. Jenna never thought she'd be having this conversation with Elena…Jeremy, she had counted on it.

Jenna could see the protest on Elena's face and quirked a half smirk. "Just think of how disastrous this house would be like if we all decided to _rebel_." She smiled when Elena chuckled. "Come on…help me make dinner."

Elena playfully grimaced. "Maybe I should just make dinner." She suggested, earning a light slap on the arm. Jenna wasn't that good of a cook.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Orleans

When she knew he was asleep Katherine slid out from under the covers, keeping her eyes trained on him the whole time. Her foot hadn't even touched the ground before he reached out and grabbed her arm tightly, his eyes still closed.

"You're not leaving so soon are you?" he drawled evenly, as if already knowing her answer.

Katherine sighed quietly. "No…I was just hungry." She replied with a smile. "Girl's gotta eat."

Julian slowly opened his eyes and smirked at her with his full lips. "You know that you can't lie to me Katerina…I see right through you." He stated simply brushing the curls off her bare shoulder. "Now…where were you running off to?"

"There's somewhere I have to be." She explained vaguely.

Julian's smirk only grew as the hand gripping her arm slowly trailed up, tracing the vein from her collarbone to the skin under her jaw. His large hand clenched around her throat, flipping and pinning her to the bed. "And where is that, love?" although his voice was soft and calm, Katherine saw the underlying threat in his eyes.

"Virginia." She sputtered under the pressure of his grip. "Julian you're hurting me." She gasped.

Julian closed in on her, his lips barely touching hers. "As I recall, Katerina…you like it when I make it hurt." He let go on her throat and trailed his palm down her chest caressingly. "What does Virginia have to offer that take priority over our plans?" Julian kissed down her collarbone, his green eyes locked on hers.

Katherine closed her eyes in bliss…Julian knew her body better than anyone; it's what made it hard to leave. "I don't know." She exhaled, her hands clenched in the bed sheets as the older vampire continued to kiss down her breasts and toned stomach. "I just know I have to be there…" she moaned.

Julian stopped and narrowed his eyes. "Don't lose sight of your assignment…it's very important that you find what we're looking for." He squeezed her hips tightly, earning a sharp cry from Katherine.

"I won't." she groaned, trying not to let the hate she had for him shine in her eyes. "I promise." She sighed in relief when Julian let her go.

Julian flashed his wide sexy smile. "Good. You can go…" He moved off of her and let her get off the bed and put on her clothes. Just as Katherine was about to walk out the door his voice stopped her. "I will hold you to that promise Katerina…don't disappoint me."

Katherine nodded with a fake smile and hurriedly left the oversized house. Julian was the first man in over five hundred years to strike fear in her heart, and she regretted the day she pledged to help him. For the last seventeen years, Katherine was subjected to follow his every wish and obey his every command…something she would never normally do, but her very existence was on the line if she didn't.

Without looking back Katherine hopped into her car and drove off into the night.

"_How can you be so calm? They're getting closer to you everyday." The blue eyed man stated glanced at her. _

_She smiled back. "We're the respectable ladies of Mystic Falls. Thanks to Emily we walk the streets in daylight…no one will ever suspect us." She explained casting a glance at her friend Pearl._

"_Not unless a human tells them." Pearl stated pointedly._

_The blue eyed man looked insulted. "I'd sooner die."_

_Katherine touched his cheek gently. "And soon enough you will."_ _She caressed her lips against his._

Katherine blinked rapidly to shake the images away. How was this happening? Why was she remembering these things and who was this man? All these questions led her to the one place she thought she'd never been to before…Mystic Falls.

A/N: Soo sorry for the late update, I'm moving so I've been too busy to write. I know it's not a very eventful chapter but I hoped you liked it anyway lol. Please review and I'll tell you this…I'm excited to write out the next chapter because Katherine's coming! Lots of craziness in store! Thanks guys!

Vanessa


	14. Special Night Thing

Chapter 14: Special Night Thing

Without looking back Katherine hopped into her car and drove off into the night.

"_How can you be so calm? They're getting closer to you everyday." The blue eyed man stated glanced at her. _

_She smiled back. "We're the respectable ladies of Mystic Falls. Thanks to Emily we walk the streets in daylight…no one will ever suspect us." She explained casting a glance at her friend Pearl._

"_Not unless a human tells them." Pearl stated pointedly._

_The blue eyed man looked insulted. "I'd sooner die."_

_Katherine touched his cheek gently. "And soon enough you will."_ _She caressed her lips against his._

Katherine blinked rapidly to shake the images away. How was this happening? Why was she remembering these things and who was this man? All these questions led her to the one place she thought she'd never been to before…Mystic Falls.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A Week Later**

New Orleans

Stefan entered a bar off Bourbon Street intending to find a girl to eat and have a drink before continuing his search for Katherine before the sun came up. He hated that he couldn't keep day hours.

It didn't take him long to find a girl to feed on. He was casually walking out the doors with his arm around her when a tall black woman brushed past him. Stefan's eyes narrowed and followed her, catching as she snuck a glance back.

He broke away from his meal, ignoring her calls to come back and hurriedly caught up with the witch. He grabbed her by the elbow and she didn't seem too surprised.

"Can I help you?" Lucy asked, faking a smile.

"You know Katherine?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"I don't what you're talking about." She tried to walk away but Stefan pulled her back.

"I can smell her on you." He grumbled lowly as his eyes darkened dangerously.

Lucy frowned in mild disdain before pulling her arm away from Stefan's grasp. "What do you want?"

Stefan pulled her off to a dark corner and pinned his gaze on her. "Tell me where Katherine is."

Lucy chuckled. "You can't compel me…you honestly think I'm not going to protect myself?" The moment she brushed past him she knew what he was, but his immediate inquiry of Katherine was not expected. The witch grimaced when the vampire painfully gripped her hand.

"Tell me where Katherine is." He growled again menacingly.

Lucy sighed in resignation. There were too many people around for her to make a scene…Katherine would be livid if she did. "Who's asking?"

Stefan let go of her hand, and crossed his arms. "An old friend. Katherine and I have a history together."

Lucy raised an eye brow. "You and a hundred other guys." She chuckled. "Listen, Kat's not gonna like it if I send some random her way…looks like you're outta luck." She tried to move around him but he held her back.

Stefan's attitude changed at her words. "Okay, look…" he sighed, looking down at his feet for a moment. "We had something special…a long time ago, but a spell changed that and now she doesn't remember who I am." He expressed sadly, a bit of his old self seeping through his new persona. "Please just…just tell me where I can find her."

Lucy could see the sincerity in his eyes, and feel the truth in his aura. "There's a bed and breakfast on Toulouse…she's in cottage 6." She divulged. She knew she shouldn't have said anything at all, but she felt safe knowing that he wouldn't find her there.

Without even uttering a thank you, Stefan bolted out of the bar and headed towards Toulouse Street. It didn't take him long to get there, and once he did he wasted no time in compelling the woman behind the desk to let him through to the private cottages.

"This is cottage 6 sir." The lady voiced in a trance, before walking back to the main office.

Stefan waited for her to leave before busting the knob off and entering the dark quiet suite. Something wasn't right…he could smell her here, but it wasn't fresh; he couldn't even sense the presence of another being. Stefan flicked on the light and let his eyes scan the room. It was clearly lived in; clothes were hung up in the closet, shoes were lined up beneath them, and accessories adored the vanity.

But she wasn't here…and it seemed like no one had been here for a while. In a burst of sudden anger Stefan swiped his hand across the entry table, sending knickknacks flying across the room.

He stormed back out, slamming the door so hard it cracked. The witch gave him false information, the bitch. Stefan briefly considered going back to the bar and torturing her until she told the truth…but his anger was making him hungry.

He turned back towards Bourbon Street and scanned the streets for his next meal.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena stood at the entrance of the tomb trying to peer around the corner. She's been here everyday for the past week but Damon wouldn't even come out. "Damon? Please stop avoiding me because I'll be here everyday until you come out." She called to him slightly annoyed. Her words were met with silence. "I'm coming in." she stated with resolve as she stepped forward.

"No…" Damon's raspy voice echoed through the cave. "I don't want you to see me like this." He'd been doing the best he could to ignore her pleas for him to come out the past few days, not wanting to scare her with the way he probably looked.

Elena's voice softened. "I don't care, Damon…I miss you. It's been a week since the last time I saw you." She replied dejectedly.

She could hear him shuffling around. "There's a reason for that." He mumbled.

She sighed deeply. "You need to feed." Elena stated desperately.

"Did you bring blood?" Elena could here the hopefulness in his voice.

Elena could feel the cool pocket knife through her jeans. "Yes…but you have to come here to get it." She held the pocket knife tightly in her hand and made a cut on her arm.

Damon stumbled to the barrier, holding the wall for support as his nose sniffed out the source of the blood. His face was pale, bordering on ashen, and his eyes were listless and sunken in. When he saw the gash on her arm he staggered back. "No…I can't." he rasped roughly.

Elena stepped closer offering her arm out to him. "Damon you have to; it's the only blood I can give you." She moved closer as he retreated farther into the cave.

Damon shook his head. "Then I'll starve."

"Stop being so stubborn and drink…you need it." She demanded, placing her other hand on her cocked hip. She knew he wouldn't want to drink from her, but she thought that in his hunger he would cave.

Damon's eyes never left the gash on her arm, slowly leaking the crimson nectar he longed for. "My control isn't at its best…if I start I-I might not be able to stop." He stuttered swallowing tightly.

"I trust you." Elena replied back confidently.

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, a look on incredulity written on his face. "How can you when I don't even trust myself?" Damon asked his voice restricted with emotion.

Elena smiled. "Because you would never do anything to hurt me." She stated simply.

Damon shuffled closer leaning against the wall and looking at Elena with concerned blue eyes. "I don't want to lose you again." He whispered.

Elena stepped forward so only the barrier was separating them. "You won't…but I could lose you if you don't drink." She could still see the hesitation on his face. "Please Damon." She begged, squeezing her arm to let more blood out of her wound.

The weakened vampire leaned forward as much as he could and Elena stuck her arm through the barrier and gasped lightly as Damon's ice cold hands grasped her arm gently. His mouth slightly open as he brought her arm up to meet his lips, Damon lapped at the blood coating her skin and covered the cut drinking hungrily, but tenderly from her.

It was much different being on the receiving end of this act. For Elena when she was feeding off of Damon she felt the hunger and excitement and the adrenaline…but being fed off of was exhilarating. It was like having your heart speed up and slow down at the same time.

When Damon heard the slow beating of her heart he reluctantly pulled away. He was sated, but having not fed in over a week, he didn't want to stop. Elena flipped her arm upside down, letting the blood drip between them. "What are you doing?" Damon questioned; his voice smoother and his skin gaining color.

"It was something Bonnie said. Only the blood that sealed the tomb can open it…and since I was the only one there then it has to be mine." Elena explained, letting Damon lick her wound closed.

He looked up at the invisible barrier. "Do you think it worked?"

Elena shrugged. "Let's hope so."

Damon hesitantly stepped forward, sighing in relief when he wasn't stopped. Elena threw herself into his arms and he gladly held her close to him. "My girl's a genius." He whispered into her hair affectionately.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next couple of days were spent blissfully in Damon's bed. Neither wanted to do anything but stay in bed and love each other all day. Both Damon and Elena were prepared to do that for the rest of the week, but Caroline's eagerness to learn more about her vampire life pulled Damon away.

Elena giggled as she remembered her blonde friend bursting through Damon's bedroom door as they lay cuddled under the covers. "Alright…I _tried_ being patient, I _tried_ to give you guys your couple time…but I'm bored and restless and I'm hungry for something other than rabbits." Caroline rattled off rapidly placing her hands on her hips.

That's where he was right now; teaching Caroline the ropes and helping her adapt to the vampire lifestyle.

Caroline and Damon strolled through the forest looking for a clearing.

"And even after everything, you know….she stayed. She didn't leave." Damon stated, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Caroline rolled her eyes subtly. "That's great, Damon."

"I mean you would think after the way I treated her and how I killed all those people, Elena would have walked away but she didn't…what you think that means?" he glanced at her, wondering to himself why he was being so open with a girl he barely knew.

Caroline stopped and faced him head on. "It means she loves you. It means that the decisions you made in the past, doesn't change the way she sees you now, okay? Now can we please stop talking about Elena, I love her, but this is bordering on obsessive." She raised her eyebrows with a nod of conclusiveness.

Damon scoffed with the irony of the word. Obsessive…something he claimed Stefan to be in regards to Elena…now he knew why. "Fine…next lesson: fighting. You have the strength, you have the instinct, but it won't get you far if you don't know how to fight." He replied, all business now. "Now get on the defensive." He waited as Caroline widened her stance and put her fists loosely in front of her face. Damon frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "This is gonna eat up my whole day." He mumbled to himself.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena left the Boarding House shortly after Caroline's arrive to go home and spend some time with Jeremy. She felt like she wasn't being a very good sister with her disappearing act, sneaking in and out of the house, and her very cryptic way of explaining things.

"Well welcome home, 'Lena." Jeremy called out good naturedly as she walked into the kitchen and placed her purse on the table.

"Hey Jer…" she smiled, trying to assess how sarcastic her brother was being. "I'm sorry I haven't been around as much, it's just I have a lot going on right now." She stated vaguely, dropping her gaze.

Jeremy smirked. "You have a new boyfriend."

Elena's head shot up. "Sorry?"

He tipped his chin towards her. "You're wearing his shirt." Jer snickered at the blush that rose in her cheeks.

Elena glanced down and noticed she was indeed still wearing one of Damon's black button up's. _Oh God._ She thought to herself. "Shut up." She playfully smacked his arm.

Jeremy leaned away from her almost falling over in the process. "You're lucky Aunt Jenna's not here this weekend." He rolled his eyes at his sister's confused face. "She went up to Duke for a case study? She's been drilling it into our head for weeks. God Elena where _have _you been? You're like on another planet lately." He commented with worry. "What's goin' on?"

Elena shook her head. "Nothing Jeremy…really." She knew that that wouldn't be enough though. Jeremy was always the more curious one.

"I don't believe you…first that whole thing with Stefan, then you vanished for two weeks…" Elena scoffed at how accurate that was. "your midnight sneak outs, the way you never have a straight answer for anything…don't lie to me, Elena." He said gently, reading for a hint of anything she might not say.

Elena sighed and then nodded. "Okay…you promise to believe me?" she asked and her brother nodded eagerly. "My boyfriend's a vampire." She said deadpanned, looking him dead in the eye. A moment of silence passed between them before Elena burst out laughing. In all honestly saying it out loud was kinda funny. Almost like the title of some Erotica vampire novel.

Jeremy shook his head with a grin. "You think you're funny, huh?"

They spent the next little while hanging out before Jeremy took off to his friend's house to blaze or something. It was almost four hours later when her front door opened and closed.

"Elena?" Caroline voice called out. She wandered into the living room and plopped down next her friend. "Hey!" she chipped, reaching for the bowl of chips on the coffee table.

"Hey…how did it go?"

The blonde beamed brightly. "Great! Damon's a good teacher…he helped a lot." She exclaimed munching away.

Elena chuckled. "Well he's been a vampire for a long time, I'd hope so. What did you guys do?" she pulled her knees up and grabbed a handful of chips.

"Well, first we hit the blood bank; Damon was so stealthy, it was totally cool, then we practiced compulsion; I got to mess with Mr. Higgins-"

Elena groaned. "Ugh, I hate him."

Caroline smirked. "He'll be taking a leave of absence…as per _my_ request." She giggled.

Elena's jaw dropped. "No way!"

"Yes way…what else did we do, oh we sparred and I _failed_ miserably." She grumbled. "We had lunch…real lunch, apparently food and alcohol helps curb the cravings, and then we picked up my ring from Bonnie's…finally! Like how long does it really take to cast a spell on a ring? Honestly?" Caroline rambled on in her usual, no-room-to-take-a-breath way.

Elena smiled fondly. "Sounds like you two had fun. I'm glad."

"All he did was talk about you." She blurted out casually as she munched some more on the chips.

Elena's head shot up. "Really?" She didn't think Damon was the type to gush about a girlfriend. It was sweet.

Caroline rolled her eyes skyward. "Yeah! I'd think it was adorable if it wasn't so annoying. He's not at all how Stefan described him."

Elena smiled fondly. "Well Damon's changed. He's not the person he used to be… Katherine's absence has a lot to do with that." She mumbled looking down and her jeans.

The blonde vampire frowned in skepticism. "Elena _you_ have _everything_ to do with that." In the four hours that they spent together, Caroline could tell that her friend was the reason he had changed. For a guy who barely knew her, he sure shared a lot. "You love him…something Katherine never did and _that_ is what changed him." She said conclusively.

Elena released a deep sigh of relief. She knew Damon loved her; if his words didn't say it than his actions sure did, but she needed to be sure that it had nothing to do with Katherine. "Thanks Care…I think I needed to hear that." She frowned when she realized that in Caroline's excitement she forgot to ask where the vampire in question was. "Where's Damon?"

Caroline waved a hand of dismissal. "Oh he said he had to run a couple of errands, but he wanted me to tell you to come by the Boarding House tonight."

"Oh…" Elena frowned; she was a little disappointed that he didn't come back with her friend…she missed him already. "Did he say when?"

Caroline shook her head.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later that night Damon set up the bathroom. He was feeling uncharacteristically sweet, and decided to treat Elena to a special 'normal boyfriend' romantic gesture. Candles littered the surface of the counters and ledges, champagne sat chilled in a bucket by the large footed tub, and The Script playing softly in the background. He pulled two roses from the vase on the counter and plucked the pedals off, scattering them over the bath he drew for her.

"Wow."

Damon turned around and smiled brightly at Elena, who was looking around the bathroom. "Elena…I'm glad you came." He grabbed a champagne flute and poured her a glass, sauntering over to her and kissing her full lips and handing her the glass.

She shook her head before smiling up at him. "Of course, what is all this?" She took a sip staring at him over the flute.

Damon's eyes locked on hers. "I just wanted to do something special for you…a thank you."

She shook her head with a shy smile. "You don't need to thank me for-"

"Yes I do." Damon stepped closer to her, bending his head slightly to catch her eyes. "I love you Elena…and you're the only woman to ever love me back." His voice constricted with emotion as his hands cupped her face gently. "You need to know how much that means to me." Damon lowered his head and kissed her passionately holding her close to his body. He noticed her heart didn't race like it usually did with his kiss…it didn't beat at all. Damon shoved her away sending her smashing into the door behind her. "Katherine." He growled lowly.

She straightened herself up, and hid her smirk with a pout. "Aww, and I was just starting to have fun." She eyed the man in front of her hotly.

Damon snarled, pissed at himself for not realizing his mistake earlier. "What the hell are you doing here?" he growled, his entire body tense.

Katherine shrugged casually. "To be honest, I have no idea." She sauntered closer to him slowly, one foot in front of the other. "But I liked where it was going. You are just my type." She raised a hand to trail down his chest but it was quickly thrown away.

Damon frowned in uncertainty. "You don't know who I am?"

"Not a clue." She answered quickly, stepping around him to smell the roses in the glass vase. "But lately I've been getting memories of you and this place…" her eyes cast around the bathroom. "Probably the work of a witch, so I came to investigate." Her eyes landed on him again and a slow smirk crawled up her lips. "And boy, am I glad I did."

Damon's eyes darkened dangerously. "You need to leave before-"

"Elena comes?" Katherine finished for him, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "My doppelganger no doubt, judging by the mistaken identity." Her gaze flickered over the candles and romantic atmosphere of the room before locking on his again. "You two seem awfully cozy…you set this up for her?" She asked trailing her finger along the edge of the tub.

"Leave Katherine!" he bellowed, grabbing her arm and swinging her in the direction of the door.

Katherine chuckled playfully before nodding slowly. "I'll leave…for now." She stated sweetly. "I'll see you soon…" she winked at him and she was gone.

Damon leaned against the counter burying his head in his hands, trying to collect himself. He wasn't prepared for that, and he wasn't prepared for the battle that was sure to come with Katherine's presence. He knew Katherine…she never did anything for nothing. There was something that brought her here other than her memories.

That was another thing he hadn't counted on. Katherine was gaining her memories of him, and that opened a whole new can of worms that he was hoping to keep tightly sealed. Damon looked around the room and the beautiful arrangement he had set up for Elena. It seemed tainted now that Katherine was here; drinking the champagne and smelling the roses that were meant for Elena, hearing the words meant for her, tasting his kiss…he sighed dramatically.

A moment he had been planning all day, ruined by one Katherine Pierce. He pushed himself lazily to his feet intent on blowing out the candles and breaking the bad news to Elena.

"Wow…what is all this?"

Damon's head shot up and in an instant he had Katherine pinned to the wall, his face menacing. "I thought I told you to leave Katherine." He barked irately, his hand gripping her throat. He was furious that she could even think of coming back here, trying to imitate the better version of herself.

Her eyes widened, as she struggled under his hold. "You think I'm Katherine?" she gasped.

Damon saw it then; the surprise, the hurt…he felt the rhythm of her pulse under his hand. "Elena..?"

"Yes! Damon you're hurting me!" she wheezed, her face turning red under the pressure.

Damon immediately released her and moved his hands to her shoulders, cringing as she pulled away. "I'm sorry; I thought…I'm sorry." He repeated not knowing what else to say. He never wanted to see her that afraid of him again.

Elena nodded, taking in a deep breath and exhaling. "Why would you think I'm Katherine?" she asked, finding her voice again. Her hand went up to her neck rubbing the sore spot.

Damon lowered his head, before meeting her eyes again. "She's here."

Her eyes widened. "In the house?" she darted a glance around nervously.

He shook his head. "She was…Elena I never meant to hurt you- you just said the same thing she did and I thought-I didn't think." He corrected himself. Damon reached out to her again and this time she didn't pull away. He interlocked his hand with hers and brought it up to his mouth placing a kiss there, and holding them near his unbeating heart.

She sighed, relaxing slightly at his touch. "It's okay…does she remember you?" she murmured.

Damon frowned. "She said she was getting memories of me and of being here…nothing more. She doesn't know who I am." He explained as Elena wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

"Good…I just hope she doesn't stick around." She felt Damon tense and looked up at him curiously. "What is it?"

He couldn't meet her eyes as he spoke. "She knows about you Elena." He admitted softly, looking at a spot over her head. Elena pulled out of his arms her face a picture of alarm. "Katherine knows the doppelganger is in Mystic Falls." He explained further.

"How?" she shrieked. "Unless..." she trailed off as the pieces came together. "You thought she was me." She concluded, catching the look of distress on his face as she voiced this.

Damon felt horrible. He should have been able to tell immediately that it wasn't Elena. "Yes…" he mumbled. "But the second I kissed her I knew it wasn't you." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Elena's brows shot up in surprise, and she took a step back. "You kissed her?" she threw back breathlessly. She knew she couldn't legitimately be mad at him for this, but it was still shocking to her.

"Not intentionally." He responded earnestly. "I meant to kiss you." He finished softly, his face tortured by the obvious pain laced in her words.

She sighed deeply closing her eyes, and running a hand through her hair. "I know…I'm not mad."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**One Hour Later**

"You're mad." Damon observed from his spot next to her on the couch.

Elena sighed. "I'm not mad." She replied unconvincingly. She was mad…but not at him. She was mad at the woman who was about to take everything from her.

Damon muted the TV and turned to her. "Then what's with the silent treatment, hm?" he questioned arching an eyebrow.

Elena's gaze fell to her lap. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

Damon nodded. "Katherine."

She sighed again before turning towards him, fiddling with her hands in her lap. "I just feel like Bonnie's spell to keep Katherine away was pointless." She saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. "Not that I regret it, if she didn't _we_ wouldn't have happened…but now she's back and we have no idea what she wants."

Damon bent his neck slightly and cocked his head to the side, trying to catch her eyes. "Is that all you're worried about?" he asked knowingly.

Elena's lips curved into a wry half smile. "I'd say yes but I know you'll call me out on it." She took a minute before continuing. "Katherine's smart…she'll do what she has to, to get what she wants…" she trailed off.

"And?" Damon knew that there was more she was worried about, he could see it all over her face.

She couldn't even raise her eyes to meet his for fear of the tears that formed there falling. "What if what she wants is you?" she softly uttered, finally addressing the thought on her mind since she heard Katherine was in this house. She knew it was a little silly…people could die, but she was worried if she was going to lose Damon to his ex.

If Damon wasn't a vampire he wouldn't have heard the words, and if she wasn't so sad about that thought he would have laughed. Like what Katherine wanted would ever keep him from her, ha! The only thing that would put a wedge between them would be a stake through his chest. "Unfortunately for her…" he lifted her chin to meet her gaze again. "_You_ are who I want." He flashed her a cheeky smile.

Elena relaxed a little, the corners of her lips turning up; but it didn't change that to Katherine, that affirmation meant nothing. "Do you think that matters to her?" she argued.

Damon tucked her hand behind her ear. "No…but Katherine's 'wants' don't mean anything to me. I love you, so only your 'wants and needs' matter." His ice blue eyes widened devilishly with insinuation. "You know…" Damon drawled, his hand tracing a trail up her thigh. "I had this whole special night thing planned upstairs…I'd hate to waste it." He told her softly as he leaned in to kiss the side of her neck then her bare shoulder. He could hear her pulse racing; one of the things he loved about her being human is he could hear and smell how he was affecting her. He smirked, a pouting whine in his voice. "I even bought you roses."

Elena giggled nuzzling him back and wrapping her arms around him as her lifted her. In only a few seconds she was gently laid out on Damon's bed with him hovering on top of her. He gave her one last passionate kiss before reluctantly pulling away. "Two minutes." He vowed holding up two fingers. Elena pouted, watching as he rushed into the bathroom to turn on the tub. While the tub was refilling, Damon went around and quickly relit the candles. He thought using his speed would help but every time he buzzed around the candles would go out.

Once he was done, he sauntered back into his bedroom to see Elena who was laid out; one leg stretched out the other bent at the knee, her hair fanned out around her wearing the red lace bra and panty set he just loved. Her head lolled towards him, an impish look in her eyes. "Finally." She teased. Elena squeaked when Damon was suddenly across the room and crawling up her body slowly like a panther, slipping between her thighs, and kissing up her toned stomach.

"Is someone eager?" he teased back smugly, smirking into her skin.

"Not at all." She said breathlessly arching into him. He pulled her up into his arms, wrapping her legs around him as he, at a human pace, brought Elena into the bathroom setting her on the counter. She deftly undid the buttons on his shirt, and trailed her hands up his chest when his skin was exposed.

His lips didn't leave her skin, whether it was her lips, or her neck, her shoulders or her chest, as he undid the clasp on her bra and let it fall off her arms to the floor. Once Elena's hands pushed off his shirt, they made their descent to the buckle on his belt, enticingly tugging it open and off before undoing the zipper and button on his jeans.

With her legs wrapped around him, Damon lifted her slightly off the counter to remove the lace panties, then resting her back down so he could slip them off her tanned legs. His kisses followed the path of the lace, delighted at Elena's soft moans of content. He gathered her in his arms again, feeling her hot skin against him and guided her over to the tub.

Elena dropped to her feet looking up at him hotly as she pushed his jeans over his ass, her wandering hands caressing him. Damon moaned, capturing her lips with his, their tongues melding together. Elena pulled away to breathe and Damon didn't waste any time in getting them in the bath tub.

Once they were both in there, Elena moved herself so she was straddling him, her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers woven in his wet hair. "Thank you." She expressed with a happy smile.

Damon returned it easily. "For what?" His hand splayed out on her back, holding her to him.

Elena rested her forehead on his. "For giving me this bit of normality, for taking my mind off of all the craziness going on out there. I needed that."

Damon smirked. "Well I'm here to serve…was there something else you wanted?"

Elena arched her brow. "I can think of a few things."


	15. Questions

Chapter 15: Questions

Damon woke up to see Elena languorously sprawled over him, their legs tangled with the dark sheets in a sea of limbs, her hair tumbling off the pillow; her face turned away from him. His eyes followed the edge of the Egyptian cotton resting low on her ass up to Elena's delicate hand strategically placed where his heart would be; a smile of content spread across his face. Every morning since he got out of the tomb he woke in a similar position as this one, but still it felt as though it was the first time she slept in his arms.

Elena smiled slightly, her eyes still closed. "I felt that." She turned her head towards him, and lovingly ran her hand up and down his chest.

"I can't control it!" he shot back with a playful grin on his lips. His skilled fingers walked a path up her thigh. "One: It's a very natural reaction to having you deliciously draped over me, and two: 'Tis the morning, and you know what they say…" he sang out, earning a giggle from her.

Elena stretched sinuously, baring her breasts to Damon's gaze and getting a moan of approval from him. She leaned in and kissed him quickly before resting on her side with the sheet pulled up to her mouth.

Damon gave a small pout of disappointment. "That's it? That's all I get?"

Her laugh was muffled by the sheet. "I'm saving you from my morning breath."

He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her so she was sitting astride him. "I love your morning breath." His hands went from her waist, to her hips, down her thighs and back up again.

Elena looked down at him with gleam of bliss in her eyes. "Liar, you just want morning sex." She tilted her head to the side to let her hair fall over one shoulder, where it lightly grazed the top of her breast.

"Well, yeah!" The smirk still evident on his face, he leaned up and kissed her fully on the lips. "Plus I'd like to have a good visual to distract me from the doom and gloom that happens to be our lives as of late."

Elena rested her hands on his chest, arching a brow. "You would think last night would have given you enough visuals to choose from." She teased, recalling the zealousness of their intimate love making.

Damon tilted his head back, and closed his eyes. "Ah yes…" he caught her gaze again, playing with the tips of her chocolate tresses. "But if I'm gonna deal with Bonnie _and_ Caroline, then I'm gonna need to stock up."

Elena frowned in confusion. "Bonnie and Caroline are coming over?"

"Yeah…" he sighed with reluctance. "Might as well tell them about our unexpected visitor last night." His hands rested nicely on her hips. "I'll call them in a few."

"Damon it's…" she leaned over to look at her phone on the nightstand. "6:47. Is it really necessary to call _this_ early on a Saturday?" she questioned with a laugh.

"No…" he drawled. "But it's amusing." He chuckled when Elena shook her head with playful disapproval.

"You are evil." She leaned down to kiss him sweetly, her lips lingering. "I'm gonna take a shower." She hopped off him earning a groan of displeasure as her body lost contact with his, and watched as Elena shameless walked into the adjoining bathroom naked.

"Can I join you?" he called out as she reached the door frame.

Elena glanced back, looking over her shoulder. "You better."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Katherine's back." Damon stated, pacing in front of Bonnie and Caroline in the parlor room.

Bonnie's face fell. "What? How…_why_?" she fired back at him. When Damon had called them over bright and early in the morning, she thought that he wanted something, or questions about the grimoire…maybe even just to piss them off, but she wasn't expecting this.

Damon shrugged helplessly as he plopped down in the arm chair, relaxing slightly when Elena sat on the arm, tenderly running her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. "Don't know, but she knows that Elena's here." He mumbled.

Caroline's brow furrowed in perplexity. "What does Elena have to do with this?" She was still kind of confused about everything that was happening. She knew about Katherine, she knew about her relationship with Damon, but a lot of it was still a mystery to her.

Elena sighed. "I'm her doppelganger. Apparently that's important."

The blonde blinked. "A what-ganger?" she looked at Bonnie with a raised brow. "Is that something dirty?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Explain later, we need to figure out why she's here…now." He emphasized, tunneling a hand through his jet black hair.

"I know a spell." Bonnie started helpfully.

He shook his head emphatically. "No. No more spells…it just puts off the inevitable."

"And what's the inevitable?" Caroline asked with a little annoyance. Damon's shortness was rubbing off on her.

Damon smirked. "Me…killing her."

Elena's head shot down to look at him. "We have no idea what she's planning Damon…we can't just jump into this with our eyes closed." She tried to reason with him.

Damon blinked and turned his head up to her, giving her an over exaggerated sweet smile. "Then what do _you_ propose we do?"

Elena could tell that he was getting slightly frustrated with the situation. It didn't help that he was the only male amongst the women. "I wanna know about the spell Bonnie was talking about?" she threw back the sweet smile he gave her and turned to look at Bonnie expectantly.

"Me too." Caroline piped up.

Bonnie lifted a brow smugly. "Three against one…team girl wins."

The older vampire threw his hands up in resignation. "Fine…what's the spell?"

"It's a form of astral projection. I can find out what she's after and go completely undetected." She explained with confidence. "All I need is another witch to anchor me."

"Well…the only witch I know of in town besides you is Sheila…and she doesn't like me very much." Damon admitted quietly.

Bonnie reared back in surprise. "You know my Grams?"

Damon nodded. "Had a run in with her in '76; words were said, brains exploded…mine anyways." He wouldn't admit though that the older witch had scared him a little bit. That woman had power…and the best 'fro he'd ever seen.

"Do you think she'll help?" Elena asked hesitantly.

Bonnie nodded. "I'll ask her."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jeremy knew something wasn't right with his sister. She was acting weird, out 'doing things' as she called it, and being evasive about everything. Jenna was blissfully oblivious, but Jeremy knew that this change in Elena had something to do with her relationship with Stefan.

He ventured into her room, looking around for anything that might give him something to start with. Her room looked like it hadn't been lived in for days; her bed was made and not one thing was out of place. He journeyed in, searching for the journal he knew she kept. Once he located it, he took a deep breath preparing himself for what he was about to find out. Jeremy briefly considered putting her journal back where he found it and going about his day, but something told him that he had to know…he had to know what she was keeping from him.

He opened the nearly full book to the last entry and started reading.

_Dear diary,_

_My boyfriend is a vampire. I've never been a believer in the supernatural but I can't ignore the facts. I knew Stefan was hiding something from me, he was always so mysterious about his past, and his family, but I never would have thought that this would be it. _

_And to top it off he's still in love with his ex, who just so happens to look exactly like me. I'm a doppelganger; and exact replica of ones self…how is that possible? I don't know…what I do know is that I was his replacement. A cheap carbon copy of a woman he's still obsessed about. An obsession is what Damon called it, I didn't believe him at first, but it all adds up. I wish I could go back to before I met Stefan, and take Damon's advice to stay away-_

Jeremy read the words over and over again until they made sense, which they still didn't after seven reads. _She was telling the truth._ He thought to himself, as he recalled the conversation he had with Elena in the kitchen.

So Stefan was a vampire…who was obsessed with her. That explained the weirdness, and even her reasoning behind staying with Bonnie for so long. She was scared. The doppelganger part threw him off. How could someone who wasn't related to you look exactly like you? And Damon…who was he, and what did he have to do with this? Was he a vampire too and was Elena in danger of him?

Jeremy couldn't understand why the entry ended as abruptly as it did, it clearly looked like she had more to say, and she didn't end it with her usual signature such as the rest of her entries. Jeremy put her journal back where he found it and stormed back into his room. He felt betrayed. He felt like his own sister couldn't even tell him something as huge as this. He prided himself on knowing that he and Elena were close enough to tell each other things…even something that sounded as crazy as this.

He would confront her about it when she came home…if she ever did. He scoffed bitterly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later that day Bonnie sat at the table across from her Grams in the boarding house. It took a while to convince her to help, but once she found out it was for a good outcome she agreed.

She glared at Damon as she entered his house, and he offered her a sheepish smile and a little wave, subtly trying to show her that he meant well. Damon, Caroline and Elena stood around the table giving the witches enough room to do their spell.

Bonnie and Sheila gripped their hands together and closed their eyes. "Now envision Katherine…separate her from Elena. Focus, Bonnie." Sheila told her granddaughter encouragingly.

Bonnie opened her eyes to see herself in a bright, well decorated room. A bedroom…a hotel maybe. She glanced around spotting Katherine looking through her closet with her cell phone to her ear. "I see her." Bonnie watched her cautiously making sure that her presence wasn't known. "She's talking to someone."

"Who?" Damon quickly inquired with interest.

Sheila eyes didn't open as she spoke. "Don't rush her Damon." She grumbled tensely.

The younger witch listened to Katherine's end of the conversation for anything that she could relay back. Bonnie's eyes fluttered lightly as the power hummed through her. "A man…his name is Julian." She stated breathlessly, the spell drawing her energy out.

Damon paused before questioning her further. He didn't want to piss Sheila off. "Do you know what he looks like?" he said patiently.

Bonnie shook her head. "No, she's on the phone." She crept around the room looking for anything that could give her a clue as to what she was planning.

"_I found her Julian…she's in Mystic Falls, playing 'house' with a vampire." _Katherine's voice stated as she picked out her outfit for the day.

"They're talking about Elena. They need her for something." She frowned still listening in.

"What?" Elena piped up darting a glance at Damon, who also looked concerned.

Bonnie's face was a picture of concentration. "I don't know-" she gasped. "She can sense me." She uttered quietly, as if whisper would keep her from being detected.

Damon tensed. "Get out…now." He enforced with urgency.

"Hold on. There's a book." Bonnie continued, dismissing Damon's order. She moved towards the book lying open on a desk. She read the words and tried to retain all the information she could.

"I don't care Bonnie!" Damon yelled, placing his palms on the table between her and Sheila, looking Bonnie in the face. "If Katherine knows you're there, you're as good as dead." He turned to Sheila who seemed to be struggling. "Sheila, pull her out." He ordered again.

"I can't, she's resisting."

Bonnie continued reading, ignoring Katherine's curious stares around the room, and Damon booming voice in her ear. "I'm almost done." Her face dropped at the last lines she read. "Oh God." Her eyes popped open, fright written all over her face.

Elena looked anxiously at her friend. "What is it?"

Bonnie turned to Elena with tears in her eyes. "She wants to kill you." She whispered softly.

"What!" Damon roared getting everyone's attention. He wasn't expecting this…he was expecting her playing with them, he expected her trying to get him back, he did not expect Katherine's target to be Elena.

Bonnie collected herself before continuing. "She needs the blood of the doppelganger for a sacrifice. They're planning a powerful ritual…I couldn't tell what it was for." She admitted sadly.

The energy of the room was somber and silent as everyone took into consideration what this meant.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katherine's eyes darted around the room suspiciously. She knew there was something in here with her, but what it was she didn't know.

"Katerina…what's going on?" the voice on the other line questioned. Her silence perked his curiosity.

She came back to herself, sighing slightly. "Nothing. I just thought I heard something." She replied, her eyes still glancing around the empty room.

Julian returned to the topic they were talking about before. "She's being protected by this vampire? Is that going to be a problem for you?" he asked with a teasing tone.

"The boy is nothing I can't handle." She told him confidently. "He might even be fun to play with." She giggled, laying herself out on the bed.

"There is no time for your games Katerina." Julian grumbled in annoyance. "Eliminate him…then grab the girl and bring her to me." He ordered firmly.

She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "Say please…" she sung out with a smirk.

"Please…" the older vampire indulged her. "Now, I may be a patient man but I don't like to be kept waiting."

"And you won't, Julian." She promised. "I'll deliver, I always do."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena and Damon walked into her house later in the evening. She hadn't been home for a while and she missed it. She looked to Damon, silently asking him if anyone was home. She didn't want to blurt something out in front of Jenna or Jeremy.

Damon looked upstairs. "Jeremy's in his room." He told her motioning her to follow him into the living room. He sat on the couch and opened his arms so Elena could cuddle into him.

She sighed deeply, curling into her boyfriend's side. "Katherine wants me dead Damon, what are we gonna do?" she mumbled tracing patterns on his jean enclosed thigh.

Damon soothingly ran his fingers through her hair, kissing her temple. "We kill her. Simple." He replied with more assurance than he felt…but he wouldn't let Elena know that.

She looked up at him. "It's not that simple…" she trailed off, dropping her eyes from his gaze. "Do you think you can do it?" she asked softly.

"If I catch her off guard-" he started.

"I didn't mean physically." She reiterated, catching his eyes again. When Damon only gave her a blank stare in response she continued. "She was your girlfriend for 145 years…and your current girlfriend is an exact replica of her!" she exclaimed in a whisper.

His eyes bore into her with intensity, trying to convey how serious he was. "When I look at you, I don't see Katherine, Elena."

She ducked her head bashfully. "I know…"

It only took him a few seconds to figure out what she meant by that. She wasn't worried about him seeing Katherine in her. "You're worried that I'm gonna see you in Katherine when I'm trying to kill her. You're worried I'll get distracted." He voiced for her, still using his touch to relax her.

Elena sighed. He knew her way to well. He eyes locked on his again. "She'll do what she has to, to come out on top, you know that. She already tricked you once." She let Damon lift her legs to drape over his, bringing them closer together.

A bit of insecurity shone in his eyes as he looked at her. "You're not still mad at me for that, are you?" he asked wincing slightly.

Elena shook her head. "No of course not, Damon." She reassured. "You had no reason to believe it wasn't me walking through that door." She linked her hands with his, fiddling with his ring. "I just don't want you to fall for whatever game she's playing."

Damon turned her face up to his. "I told you 'Lena…Katherine has no hold on me…I have no problem removing her from our lives." He stated restoring her confidence. "Okay?"

Elena nodded and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too…_you._" He added after a pause, tapping her nose with his index finger, making a little giggle erupt from her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jeremy left his room with the intention of going downstairs for something to eat when he hear voices from downstairs. One that clearly sounded like his sister and the other he wasn't familiar with. _Probably her new boyfriend._ He stalled at the top of the stairs when he heard Elena's quiet question.

"Katherine wants me dead Damon, what are we gonna do?" Jeremy's eyes widened at the words, and strained to hear more. _Damon, the one she wrote about in her journal, but who's Katherine?_

"We kill her. Simple." He heard Damon reply.

"It's not that simple…do you think you can do it?" her heard his sister ask. How she could be so calm about this was beyond him.

"If I catch her off guard-"

"I didn't mean physically. She was your girlfriend for 145 years…and your current girlfriend is an exact replica of her!" Jeremy could tell she was trying to be quiet, with her hushed tones._ So this Katherine was her doppelganger __**and**__Damon's ex girlfriend?_ Jeremy shook his head in disbelief. _That's fucked up._

Not being able to hear anymore, Jeremy quietly went back to his room and stuck on his head phones, fully intending to be blissfully ignorant, if only for a little while, of the supernatural reality that was his sister's life. He had questions…lots of them. But at the moment he couldn't pick one from the other. He had questions….and he was gonna get the answers.


	16. Tick Tock

Author's Note:

I know you guys were expecting a full chapter, but I will not be able to do that for a while, sadly. I'm moving to a location where I won't have a computer, but I promise that once I can use one or buy one I will update for you. I'm so sorry…it sucks for me too because I have it all planned out and I just wanna type it out and post it, but my flight is in a few hours and there's just not enough time. : ( But to make up for it I'll give you a little teaser for what's coming next. It's the first part of Chapter 16…hopefully it's enough to keep you on edge for the next part.

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Chapter 16: Tick Tock

Jeremy couldn't sit up in his room any longer. He felt like his brain was about to explode with all this new information. He tore off his head phones and made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen where he heard voices.

He put on a fake smile as he regarded the dark haired man seemingly making dinner in his kitchen. "I didn't know we hired a chef!" he exclaimed catching Elena by surprise.

"Jeremy…I didn't even know you were up there." She lied. "We're making dinner, you hungry?" Elena was a little uncomfortable having her brother and Damon in the same room…Jeremy knew how to embarrass her.

"Yeah, starving." He sat on the stool by the island. "So you must be the new boyfriend." He aimed at Damon offering his hand. "I'm Jeremy…Elena's brother."

Damon wiped his hands on the cloth hung over his shoulder. "Hey man, Damon Salvatore." He shook his hand respectfully, before going back to chopping vegetables. "Your sister's amazing…" he glanced at her flashing her a smirk. "I'm lucky to have her."

Jeremy watched as Elena and him shared a look. "You don't _bite_ do you; cause her last boyfriend…" he trailed off catching the way both of their head shot up to look at him. "I mean I didn't know Stefan that well but he seemed like a real _lady killer_ to me." He stated firmly narrowing his gaze on Damon.

Damon put the knife down and stared at Jeremy before smiling tightly. "I'm nothing like Stefan."

Jeremy nodded. "Oh…so you're not a vampire?" he asked bravely.

Elena's eyes widened comically. "Jeremy!" she huffed a nervous laugh. "Jer…I was kidding about that."

Her brother turned to her, looking at her with disappointment in his eyes. "No you weren't…I know Elena. What I don't know is why you felt you couldn't tell me."

Elena was frazzled, so coming up with an excuse was not going to work. Denial she could attempt though. "Look Jeremy…I was just joking around, that's crazy-"

"I read your journal." Jeremy cut her off.

"What!" she screeched, stomping over to her brother, getting in his face. "Haven't you ever heard of privacy?"

"I was worried about you!" he shouted back at her. "I tried asking you what was wrong, and you'd either avoid it completely or give me some lame ass excuse. You didn't leave me much of a choice, Elena."

Elena sighed and closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself. "I'm sorry…" she said quietly. "But to be fair I didn't think this was something I should be broadcasting."

Jeremy glanced at Damon warily. "You're really a vampire?"

Damon pulled a grin. "Yup!"

"You don't need to worry about him…he's completely harmless." Elena quickly reassured.

Damon's grin dropped. "Hey! I'll have you know-"

"He won't hurt you." She reiterated smirking slightly at her boyfriend's wounded face. "Or me, I promise."

Jeremy nodded, trying to understand everything. "So vampires exist….is there anything else I should know about? Werewolves, demons, witches?" he listed sarcastically.

Damon chuckled. "Well I don't know about werewolves and demons but witches do exist…judgy little pains in my ass." He grumbled the last part under his breath.

"Hey." Elena scolded. "Without Bonnie I would have never been able to come back, remember that."

"Without Bonnie, you never would have disappeared in the first place." Damon countered earning a confused look from Jeremy.

Jer shook his head to clear it. "What? Wait, Bonnie's a witch?"

Elena nodded. "Yes….but what you know about this goes in the vault, okay? You can't tell anyone." She stressed importantly.

He nodded, and Elena and Damon spent the next few hours explaining everything to him. Damon had to hand it to the kid, he took the news well, and he seemed to accept it all for what it was. Elena knew he was always interested in the supernatural; he believed in things that most others would chalk up to urban legends or myths. She was in a way relieved that he knew. There was someone else she could talk to now and she didn't have to hide it from him, but on the other side of the spectrum, that was just one more person liable to getting hurt.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The next day Damon and Elena were up in his room trying to figure out what ritual Katherine and Julian were planning.

"Bonnie said she didn't see anything about the ritual itself, just what they needed to do it…me apparently." Elena grumbled indignantly.

Damon sighed in frustration, throwing another book carelessly away from him. "There is nothing in these books about a ritual involving a doppelganger sacrifice." He reached for Elena's hand and stroked the back with his thumb. "But you know that I'm never gonna let it come to that…I don't care what I have to do to stop it."

Elena smiled at his attempt to make her feel better. She was about to reply when the sound of glass shattering resonated from downstairs. "What was that?"

Damon's brow furrowed deeply. "Someone's here…do not leave this room." He ordered firmly before he sped out of the room and down the stairs.

"Damon!" she tried called, but he was already gone.

The sight before him stopped him in his tracks. Katherine stood there with her hand on her cocked hip, the other holding a full glass of bourbon. He glanced to the wall, where the remnants of the liquor and the shattered decanter resided.

"Why hello there." She greeted with a sly smile as she sipped from the glass.

"I had a feeling it was you…that was my favorite bourbon." He commented calmly, although he was anything but.

Katherine shrugged carelessly. "I needed to get your attention. Damon…" she drawled as if testing the name on her tongue. "The name suits you, very sexy." She swirled the liquor around in the glass, her eyes darting to the ceiling. "Seems like our girl is scared…her heart is racing." She taunted.

"Leave Elena out of this." He snarled.

"Looks like she wants to be a part of it."

She looked around Damon to the stairs, causing him to turn around. "I thought I told you to stay upstairs." He grumbled, but he knew that just because he said it didn't mean she would listen.

Katherine placed her drink on the table and sauntered closer to Damon. "Let her stay Damon. I'm sure she's curious." She stated with a fake smile in her doppelganger's direction.

Elena crossed her arms at her position on the stairs. "Not really." She countered. "I know who you are Katherine. I've been in your shoes, quite literally." Her false bravado held strong even though her heart was hammering in the presence of the older vampire.

A wave of confusion swept over Katherine's face but was quickly contained as her gaze fell back on Damon. "What is she talking about?"

Damon smirked. "It sucks not knowing the full score, doesn't it?" Finally he felt like he had the upper hand when it came to Katherine. For once he knew things that she didn't.

Her eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Damon Salvatore; son of Giuseppe-" he started blithely, delighted by her bewilderment.

"How do I _know_ you?" she rolled her eyes at his attempt of pissing her off.

Damon gave a wave of dismissal. "Oh we go way back."

Katherine was done with his games. She darted across the room to Elena gripping her throat painfully, and lifting her slightly off the ground. She smiled when Damon immediately got on the defensive, running at her, but with one hand she pushed him a good distance away. "Answer the questions I want to know and I won't kill your carbon copy girlfriend." She threatened, squeezing Elena's throat and enjoying her whimper of pain.

Elena tugged helplessly at Katherine's hand. Her grip was strong but she was still able to wheeze out a reply. "You won't kill me."

The older vampire's eyebrow rose as she turned back to look at Elena. "Oh…and why is that?"

"Because if you kill me now you'll have no one to sacrifice for the ritual." Elena choked out watching as Katherine's eyes widened in surprise. She knew she shouldn't have said that, but her mouth wasn't coordinating with her brain…probably from the lack of oxygen. God knows what she was going to do now.

Katherine quickly recovered from the shock of Elena's statement. "Hm well…" she dropped Elena haphazardly and sped back to Damon pinning him to the wall with her hand around his neck and the other resting over his heart. "What about your boy here? He serves me no purpose at all." She looked up at him with a coy smile, tilting her head to the side. "Although he is cute…it would only take me less than a second to rip his heart out." She continued her eyes never leaving Damon's.

Elena stood back up, her eyes widened in fear. She was more scared now than she was seconds ago. "Please don't…I'll tell you what ever you want to know." She begged, slowly walking down the stairs. She was afraid to make any sudden movements.

Katherine turned her head to her double. "I keep getting memories of him, why?" she demanded rudely.

"You met a long time ago." Elena replied shakily. "But something happened; history was rewritten and it changed the past." She supplied, swallowing the lump in her throat. She watched as Damon struggled under her hold.

"What do you know about the sacrifice?" Katherine saw Elena's glance at Damon, and felt him try to shake his head. "Tick tock, Elena. I'm losing my patience and he's getting dangerously close to losing a heart." Her grip tightened and Damon grimaced.

"Not a lot." She answered truthfully. Katherine's hand drove through Damon's chest, clenching his heart inside his body. All she had to do was remove her hand and Damon would be dead. He howled in pain at her invasion, gasping for unneeded air. "No!" Elena cried. "Please, I'm telling the truth! All we know is that you need the blood of the doppelganger for the ritual, I swear." She sobbed. "Please stop! I'll do whatever you want!" she exclaimed in a desperate attempt to save Damon from anymore pain.

Katherine's lips curled into a sly smirk. She slowly let go of his heart and pulled her bloody hand out, patting Damon's chest affectionately before letting him drop in a heap to the floor. "Just what I wanted to hear."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hope you liked the first part; part two is going to pick up right where we left off. I know it's a total tease but it's better than nothing, right?

I do want to thank all of my reviewers and readers for sticking by me through this fic and enjoying it so much! I promise not to forget about this story, and as long as you all are willing to wait than I am willing to keep writing. I think I have two or three more chapters until the end, maybe more if my creative mind runs away with the next few pages lol. I hope I didn't disappoint too much… :D Until next time!

Vanessa Symone


	17. It's Like There's a Hole in My Chest

Chapter 17: It's Like There's a Hole in My Chest

Katherine's lips curled into a sly smirk. She slowly let go of his heart and pulled her bloody hand out, patting Damon's chest affectionately before letting him drop in a heap to the floor. "Just what I wanted to hear." Katherine sauntered back to Elena, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor, and grabbed Elena's arms roughly.

Damon coughed and sputtered on the floor, one hand holding his bloodied chest and the other attempting to push himself off the ground. Blood spilled from his lips as he forced words out of his mouth. "If you think you're leaving with her, you're wrong." He wheezed, grunting as he got to his feet. The pain he was feeling was almost unbearable, but he needed to be strong for Elena.

Katherine cocked her head to the side feigning interest. "Am I? I believe Elena made that decision."

Damon stumbled closer until he was looking down at the older vampire. "I'm not letting you take her." He asserted with determination. The effort it took to talk let alone stand had him holding onto the banister for support.

She laughed. "Of course you are. I'm stronger than you Damon…the hole in your chest is proof of that, and if Elena wants her family and friends to live, and that includes you…then she'll do as I say." She finished sweetly.

Elena saw the tortured look on Damon's face, and spoke up before he could. "It's okay Damon…" she murmured softly, as tears continued to streak her cheeks. "I'll go."

Her words nearly made him collapse. "What!" he gasped. "Elena…she'll kill you." He stated unnecessarily.

Elena caught Katherine's smile of victory, but kept her gaze on Damon. "If it comes down to me or the people I love I know what my choice is going to be." Her voice caught in her throat as she accepted her fate. She saw what Katherine did to Damon, and she knew that she would never let anyone die at her hands if she could stop it.

He was already shaking his head. "No, Elena…don't do this."

"Looks like someone's playing the sacrificial lamb." Katherine sung, watching the scene unfold before her. "I'll give you two a moment; let you say your goodbyes." She let go of Elena and walked towards the kitchen. "Don't try anything stupid like being heroic…because I will kill you both before you get out that door." She continued simply as she left the room.

Damon reached out and grabbed Elena by the shoulders, forgetting about his pain. "What is wrong with you Elena? Do you realize what you just agreed to?" he bit out with anger and desperation.

She glared up at him defiantly. "She threatened your life and my family's, Damon! What was I supposed to do?" she yelled back trying to show him with her eyes that he was that important to her. She quickly pulled out her phone and typed out a message, showing it to him. Anything they said would be heard by Katherine in the next room.

**Bonnie said they need a full moon. Four days to come up with a plan.**

Damon read it and nodded his consent. He really didn't want to let her go, but knowing that they had time was a bit of a relief. "I can't lose you Elena…" he started playing along for Katherine's sake. "I won't let you do this, I promised to keep you safe!"

"I don't want to be saved!" she shot back, her face defying the words leaving her mouth. "I'm doing what she says so everyone else is safe…it's the only way." Her voice trailed off sadly.

Damon's hand tenderly caressed the side of her face, as he replied harshly. "And what am I supposed to do? Sit here and twiddle my thumbs waiting for you to die!" his eyes teared up.

Elena closed her eyes, reveling in Damon's touch. "Explain to everyone…tell them I love them and I'm sorry." She whispered, swallowing tightly around her own tears.

"Enough with the martyr act…you have your whole life ahead of you and I'm not letting that _bitch _cut it short for some stupid ritual." He vowed strongly, raising his voice on the word _bitch_ so Katherine could hear.

On cue, Katherine waltzed back into the room. "Time's up. Name calling isn't nice Damon." She scolded him as if he were a child.

Damon's eyes shifted to her with hatred. "For some reason I just can't be bothered with courtesy." He watched as Katherine linked arms with her double like they were old friends, his gaze never breaking from Elena's.

"Come on Elena…I've got a room waiting for you…it has shackles and everything." She announced with excitement. "I'm sure you'll feel right at home."

Katherine started pulling her away, but Damon's hold on Elena's shoulder stopped them. "Elena…" he trailed off, not knowing how to say what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he was going to come for her and that he was sorry…but all the words got stuck in his throat when she looked back at him, her face wet with tears and utterly broken.

She nodded. "I know." And she did. She knew what he wanted to say because she wanted to say it too.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bonnie walked up the steps of Elena's house. She was supposed to meet her here after she got back from Damon's. She was surprised to see Jeremy on the other side of the door. "Hey? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" she asked walking around him into the house.

"Aren't you?" he replied with a smirk.

Bonnie gave him a sassy smile over her shoulder. "I'm special."

"So I hear." He mumbled following her into the living room. "Elena's not here, she's with Damon."

The witch raised a brow. "You've met Damon?" She trusted Damon, but it didn't mean she didn't know what he was capable of.

He nodded. "Seems like a nice guy…he cares about Elena, don't know how I feel about the whole vampire thing though." He responded nonchalantly.

Bonnie's head shot up to look at him like a deer in headlights. "What?"

He laughed. "Its okay, Bonnie, I know…and Elena knows that I know. I know about you too!" he said pointing at her look of surprise. It was fun being in on things for once.

Bonnie blinked, eying him curiously. "You know a lot." She was about to continue when the sound of the door slamming loudly caught her attention. Damon rushed in urgently, covering in blood. "Oh my God, what happened? Where's Elena?"

"She took her…Katherine took her." He breathed out. He had run to Elena's house, and despite his healing abilities, he was still in pain. His heart ached in more ways than one.

"What?" Both Jeremy and Bonnie exclaimed at the same time. "Why didn't you stop her?" Jer continued innocently. He had no idea how strong this Katherine was.

"I _tried_!" Damon emphasized. "Got a hole through the chest for my efforts." He picked at the shirt caked with blood. "We've got until the full moon to find her."

Bonnie helped him sit, seeing him wince slightly. "Do you know where she took her?"

Damon shook his head, settling into the couch. "I was hoping you could help with that."

She nodded. "I'll do a locator spell, I'll be right back." she ran up to Elena's room to use something to pin point Elena's whereabouts.

Jeremy sat across from Damon on the coffee staring at him with interest. Here he was with a healing hole in his chest sitting on his couch. It was mind boggling. "What are they gonna do to her?" he asked sadly.

Damon sighed, closing his eyes. "They want her dead, Jeremy…but I'm not gonna let that happen." His eyes popped open to look at the kid. "Okay?" he reassured.

Jeremy nodded. "Do you want anything for that? A cloth…some Band-Aids?" he asked awkwardly, trying to be helpful.

"Blood…got any of that kicking around?" Damon replied rhetorically. He chuckled when he got a grimace for a response.

Bonnie came running back down the stairs and immediately started setting up an area to do the spell. She rushed around gathering other things she need like candles and a map before settling down cross legged with Elena's hair brush in hand. "Somebody should call Caroline."

Jeremy's eyes rose. "Caroline knows about this?"

"She's a vampire." Damon and Bonnie both replied. "Just call her and tell her to come here…" she tossed Jeremy her phone and took a deep breath to prepare herself.

Jeremy shook his head as he left the room. "So weird."

Bonnie heard Damon groan as he stood up. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah…I'll live. We gotta find her Bonnie…" he uttered miserably.

"We will." She concentrated on the spell for the next few minutes, drawing energy from the candles around her. Her nose started bleeding, but she kept searching, her eyes closed. "She's moving…I can't pin point her anywhere." She grumbled. "It looks like she's headed south."

"You got a route on that map?" Damon leaned over and saw a flicker of light trailing a path on the map.

Bonnie's head shot up to look at him with resolve. "You're not going now."

Damon's eyes shifted superciliously. "Uh…yeah I am."

Bonnie stood to face him. "No you're not, Damon you can barely stand." She insisted firmly.

Damon forced a tight smile. "I'm fine." He grunted.

Bonnie poked him in the chest watching with an arched brow as he hissed and stepped back. "Yeah…you're fine. Look, Damon you can't go now…we don't know where Katherine is taking her and if she finds out you're following them she'll kill you. Plus…you need me." She added confidently.

Damon eased himself back down onto the couch reluctantly. "As soon as we get a set location I'm going…" he grumbled petulantly knowing that the witch was right.

Jeremy came back into the room handing Bonnie her phone. "She's on her way." Only seconds after, Caroline waltzed through the door past Jeremy and into the living room.

"Hey, Jeremy filled me in…I figured you'd need this." She tossed Damon a couple of blood bags that she had in her purse and sat down on the couch across from him.

Damon sighed thankfully. "Yes…" he breathed out happily. He eagerly emptied both bags, not even noticing the looks of disgust on Bonnie and Jeremy's face. "You're a doll Caroline, thank you." He expressed gratefully.

Caroline shrugged. "Don't thank me, it's your stash…I pit stopped on the way over." She smiled brightly happy to be of any help.

Jeremy looked confused. "I just got off the phone with you, how could you have gone from your house to his and then here in that short period of time?"

The blonde rolled her eyes as if the question was stupid. "Vampire speed…hello? And since when do you know about vampires?" she asked him curiously.

"When did you become one?" he fired back, not liking the snarkiness in her tone. He left it at that when she rolled her eyes again and turned back to Damon.

"So how do we get Elena back?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katherine slammed the doors to the basement open, making them thud against the concrete walls as she sauntered into the dark, dank space. "Morning Sunshine!" she called out, waking Elena up. "It's a beautiful day…not like you can enjoy it." She added as an after thought. Katherine crouched down beside Elena, who was sitting on the cold ground, her arms were locked in shackles to the wall above her head, and her ankles bound together with chains. Katherine looked at her reproachfully when all she got was a glare in response. "Oh come on, Elena…you knew what you were getting into when you agreed to this."

"Where's Julian?" Elena ground out strongly. She'd been locked up for a whole night in this freezing cold basement with no food or water, but no matter how weak she felt, she had to stay strong.

Taken aback, Katherine's brows raised high on her head. "Excuse me?" she drawled.

Elena shifted slightly in her chains. "I'd rather see him than you…at least he doesn't patronize me." Only seconds later her attention was drawn to the entrance of the basement when the tell tale sounds of footsteps echoed.

"Hello Elena." Julian pronounced coming to stand in front of her. "Katerina…you may leave now." He ordered his gaze never once lifting from Elena's. Katherine stood and left the basement with a huff, slamming to door closed behind her. "I think you hurt her feelings." Julian chuckled crouching down to her level.

"Katherine doesn't have feelings." Elena replied, trying not to look at the man in front of her. She realized when she woke up here that her necklace was gone, and she didn't want to chance getting compelled…although if he was going to compel her that wouldn't stop him.

"Are you hungry?" he asked handing her an apple. She looked at it, but shook her head. "You'll need to be healthy for the blood letting." He continued as if that would change her mind.

"I'm fine." She mumbled dropped her head so her hair hung like a curtain around her face.

Julian rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Oh stop being so difficult…I'm trying to make sure you're comfortable." He juggled the apple back and forth between his hands.

She laughed bitterly. "Well these chains are doing a really good job of that." She stated sarcastically giving her arms a little shake for effect.

Julian smirked. "Katerina's idea, she's always had a thing for bondage. Would you prefer a room upstairs?" he offered reaching into his coat pocket.

Elena looked at him apprehensively. "Really?" she watched him flip the key to the shackles between his fingers.

"Of course!" he expressed over exuberantly with a grin. "You only have two more days on this earth, might as well live them in style." He undid her shackles and the chains around her ankles, wiggling them loose before standing and offering her his hand. "Shall we?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon paced the floor impatiently in front of Bonnie who was concentrating on locating Elena. It had been a day and a half since Katherine took her away, and they had yet to pin point Elena. He was getting nervous.

Bonnie's eyes snapped open. "She's in Louisiana." She blurted out, looking down to the map and the spark of light that finally stopped moving.

Damon stopped in his tracks to look down at her in shock. It had been silent for so long that he was surprised when she spoke. "What?"

"New Orleans…" she closed her eyes again, getting a visual of Elena's final destination. "The place looks massive. Ten rooms maybe." She commented.

Damon nodded. "How do I get in?"

Caroline looked at him with a raised brow. "Uh, the front door?" she joked with sarcasm.

Damon rolled his eyes, lolling his head to her. "Other than the obvious."

"There's a way in through the basement around the back. That's probably your best bet." Bonnie told him looking up at him from her place on the floor.

He nodded again. "You got an address?" he moved around his living room grabbing the things he would need. Vervain darts and stakes were shoved in a bag quickly, not wanting to waste anymore time.

Bonnie closed her eyes and drew her brows together. "Yeah it's…7900 Primrose Drive off Hayne Blvd." she stood up handing Damon the map as he quickly walked past towards the door.

Caroline ran after him. "Wait! You're going alone?" she called out in disbelief.

Damon stopped before the door looking down at the hand Caroline used to grab his arm. "Yeah…" he drawled as if it were obvious.

"I'm coming with you."

Damon pulled his arm out of her grip easily. "No you're not. These vampires are old and a lot stronger than you. I can't look out for you when I'm trying to save Elena. God knows how many of them are in there." He mumbled the last part more to himself.

She rolled her eyes. "So you're just gonna waltz in there, _alone_, not knowing whether or not you're gonna make it out?" she clarified crossing her arms over her chest.

"I have to…" Damon shrugged with a helpless look. He turned and walked out the door with a nod to Bonnie, throwing the bag in the trunk before sliding into the driver's seat. Caroline was already sitting in the passenger seat with a look of determination. "You're not coming, Caroline." He stated firmly.

"And you're not going alone." She fired back in the same tone.

Damon forced a tight smile. "Well then it seems were at an impasse." He waited to turn on the car.

Caroline turned towards him with a serious look on her face. "Look, Elena's my best friend and if she's in trouble than I want to help." She explained. This whole time Caroline felt like she was just standing there, unable to contribute in anyway to bringing Elena back home. She needed to do something.

"I get that but-" Damon was cut off as the blonde continued.

"Elena would be a mess if something happened to you, Damon." She spoke over him. "Going into that house alone will guarantee you not coming out." Her eyes held a determination that she hadn't felt before when she was human. She felt strong…capable…confident.

"And what if you don't?" he shot back narrowing his eyes, gauging her reaction. It wasn't what he was expecting.

Caroline shrugged one shoulder and smiled sadly. "Not like anyone would miss me." She thought about her mother, who was working too much to even notice that she was never home, and the friends from school who she thought were important, didn't even call to find out why she never showed up to class. "Besides Elena and Bonnie…" she added.

Damon stared at her intensely for a few seconds, seeing a bit of himself in the blonde. He came to like her in the time since he'd got out of the tomb, and now he knew why. She was underappreciated, overlooked, and misunderstood...and yet everyday she put on a big smile, laughed, and pretended she was okay; something that they had in common. "I can think of someone else that would." He replied sincerely before accepting that she was coming with him and turning the key in the ignition.


	18. Brothers

Chapter 18: Brothers

Elena huffed. Three days she'd been here, and two of them she spent handcuffed to the headboard of a twin bed in one of the many rooms of the mansion. She thought she would at least be okay in a room with a comfortable bed to sit on and a window to look out of but the truth was she would have preferred to be in the basement.

Julian had terms that he, of course, neglected to inform her of before she accepted his offer. The first one being her purpose while she was here; every morning and every night he fed off her…unable to scream or struggle due to his compulsion. Another was Katherine being on watch constantly; not only was the sight of her infuriating, but her incessant rambling was doing its job of annoying Elena.

Right now Katherine was 'grabbing a bite', leaving Elena alone in the room finally. She relished in the short moments of silence…it was a relief. Just a few short minutes that she could pretend that everything was okay and she wasn't in any real danger. But she knew that she only had one more day until the ritual. She could see the pale moon through the barred window; she had watched it climb as the sun was slowly starting its descent, the sky fading from blue to a collage of pinks and orange peaking through the dark clouds that hovered ominously. The moon was but a sliver away from being full.

Elena quickly turned her head when the door opened and shut loudly. "Hungry?" Julian questioned carrying a tray and placing it beside her. It had an apple, a glass of water, and a sandwich that didn't look at all appetizing. She shook her head reluctantly. She wasn't going to eat anything they offered her, partly out of stubbornness and partly because if they needed her strong to complete the ritual than she was going to do everything she could not to be. Julian rolled his eyes and her denial. "Of course not. Did you need anything?" he was mocking her…trying to make her feel like she had some semblance of control although she clearly didn't.

Elena glared at him. "My freedom?" she suggested bitterly, her voice hoarse with lance of use.

Julian laughed boisterously. "Sorry dear, that's not on the menu." He ran his finger over the scarring his bit left on her arm.

"Didn't think so." She mumbled. Her lips were chapped and her throat was so dry. "Water?" she hated that she couldn't even drink by herself; Elena waited for him to bring the glass to her lips.

"Absolutely." He watched her and she guzzled down the glass. "You know, it's a shame you have to die…I was becoming fond of you." Julian put the tray and the glass on the night stand before brushing a strand of hair away from her face. She jerked away from him repulsively. "You taste delicious." He added sensually.

"What's the ritual for?" she blurted out in a way of distraction. At his look of mild surprise she continued. "I'm gonna die anyways, so you might as well tell me." Her voice was stronger than she felt.

Julian rose from the bed to take the few calculated steps to the window. "It all comes down to power." He turned to look at her over his shoulder, with a sickening smirk. "I want it."

"So I have to die just so you can have infinite power?" she clarified flatly before scoffing acrimoniously. "Wow…my death has so much meaning now." Elena shifted slightly up on the bed to sit more comfortably.

Julian turned to look back out the window, linking his hands elegantly behind his back. "It does my dear. Your death will bring forth the new vampiric world…something that should have happened centuries ago." He stated with resolve. "But…" he huffed with annoyance. "My brother is hell bent on keeping the balance maintained; keeping order between us and the human race. It's forced us all to live in hiding, to blend in with society. His obsession with this notion has turned him into a recluse…and I think now is the time to put him in his place." He chuckled darkly.

Elena glared at his back in incredulity. "All this over a sibling rivalry?"

Julian looked over his shoulder again with a look of mock disapproval. "You make it sound so petty, Elena." He took a deep breath and glared at the moon that was becoming more noticeable in the darkened sky. "Klaus has had control for far too long."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan waltzed into the Boarding House, looking for his brother. The house was extremely quiet…unusually so. He strolled into the parlor room to pour himself a drink…Damon's favorite bourbon, but found the decanter smashed against the wall. "Someone got testy." He mumbled to himself as he poured a glass of scotch.

He sat in the leather chair staring into the fire as he sipped from the crystal glass. He knew Katherine was hear somewhere. Every lead he found led him back to this very place. He had beaten a man, one who deemed himself in love with her, for information. He told Stefan of her interest in Mystic Falls, and the blue eyed man that was supposedly there and Stefan immediately made his way back home. He remembered Bonnie's threat, but at this point he didn't care. All that mattered was finding her…he was so close.

Stefan stood draining the glass, and made his way into the kitchen. He grabbed one of Damon's blood bags from the fridge and consumed the crimson substance eagerly, throwing the bag haphazardly on the counter. He was positive that Damon knew where Katherine was. If she came back to find him, then the chances that she had already shown her face here were high. He wanted to kill Damon for winning the affections of both Katherine and Elena. Without even trying, they both flocked to his older brother casting him away without a second thought.

He couldn't wait for Damon to come home.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon pulled off to the side of the road a few blocks away from the mansion and turned off the car. He shifted so he was looking at Caroline head on. "You ready to do this?" he asked concerned.

The blonde nodded her head with confidence. "I can do this."

He nodded back. "Okay…remember what we talked about, if you're in danger, run." He reminded her firmly.

She huffed but nodded her agreement and hopped out of the car into suffocating heat outside and walked at human speed up to the mansion. With one last deep breath she rang the doorbell.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon hopped out of the car and sped around the back of the mansion to the hatch entrance of the basement in the back. He waited for the doorbell before tugging on the chains and cautiously, with no sound, crept down the stairs into the basement.

It was dark and smelt of mold and sweat. He looked around and spotted the shackles attached to the wall, the chains on the floor and the discarded apple not far away. She was here, Damon thought to himself as he picked up traces of her scent. He could hear Caroline upstairs and decided to make his move.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Katherine discards the dead man in the living room and wanders to the entrance when she heard the doorbell. She answered it and smirked internally when she saw the flushed blonde on the other side. It was like meal delivery!

Caroline flashed her a bright smile. "Hi! My car broke down up the road and my phone has no service." She held up her phone and fanned herself. "This is the only house for miles and well…I'm dying in this heat." She joked with a giggle. "Can I use you're phone?"

Katherine resisted herself from rolling her eyes. She briefly considered just killing her and draining her dry, but she knew Julian would be none too pleased if she didn't save this one for him. For now she would just scare the girl. "Yeah sure…there's a phone in the living room." She stepped aside to let her in and closed the door behind her.

Caroline let Katherine lead her through the atrium and long corridor. "Wow, this place is huge!" she exclaimed, letting her voice echo throughout the house. When the other vampire didn't say anything she continued. "Thanks…I didn't know how much longer I could stand out there, it's so hot. I'm fair skinned…we don't do well in the heat." She rambled as they entered the living room. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the stairs leading to the basement. They were slightly diagonal from the doorway to the living room.

Katherine rolled her eyes with annoyance. "Yeah well…" she trailed off and headed for the doorway of the living room.

"Wait!" Caroline called out waiting for her to turn around before continuing. "What was the address?"

With her back turned Damon rushed up the last few stairs that he was crouching down to stay hidden and stakes her from behind, gently lowering her to the ground as to not make a sound. He watched as she gasped, her mouth open in shock. Grey crawled up her face like a cloud over the moon; the veins in her neck and forehead protruded and her eyes turned lifeless.

Damon crouched down beside her. "That's for almost ripping my heart out, bitch." He whispered before turning his attention to Caroline.

"Where's Elena?" she mouthed silently.

Damon looked skyward pointedly before looking back at her. "Stay here." He mouthed back. Even though he was silent, Caroline could see the warning on his face. He sped up stairs not wanting to waste anymore time. Once he reached the top he took a moment to survey the collection of doors before him. There were so many, and Elena was in one of them…he could hear her heartbeat. He stopped outside of the door where the deep voice was coming from and listened in for a few seconds.

"Why don't you join us…we could use the company." The deep voice stated loudly drawing Damon's attention. He stepped inside and his eyes flew to Elena handcuffed to the bed, and Julian sitting beside her on the edge.

"Damon!" she called out desperately, in relief and also with worry.

Damon wanted to tear this vampire apart. He could see the bit marks on her arms and the paleness of her skin, and it made his blood boil…but he wanted to get Elena out safely, and attacking Julian out of rage was not going to do that. He had to go about this another way.

"Ah…so you must be the one she'd give her life for." Julian's mouth turned down as he took in the man at the door. "I thought you'd be taller."

Damon's jaw tightened. "Sorry to disappoint." He grit out.

"Katherine said she disposed of you…I'll have to punish her for lying." Julian mused calmly.

"Oh I took care of that for you." Damon piped up with a false grin and a wave of his hand. "She didn't even put up a fuss."

Julian's lips turned down in disappointment. "Well that's a shame…she's feisty when she struggles. No matter, it seems Elena here is the same way." He let the back of his fingers trail down her face from her temple to her chin. Damon made a move towards him. "Stay." He commanded.

Damon growled in anger his fangs coming forth. "Don't touch her." He bit out. He was unable to get to her, protect her in any way...but judging by the bite marks he was already too late for that.

Julian chuckled. "And how do you suppose you'll stop me?" he asked audaciously.

There was a quick blur and a tall blue eyed man was suddenly standing at the foot of the bed. "Release the girl, Julius." He uttered with a low firmness.

Julian stood and walked a couple steps toward him. "Brother! You've come out of hiding, it's about time." He taunted.

Klaus shrugged nonchalantly. "The uproar you've caused amongst the underworld has left me no choice but to come and end this myself." He stated as his fingers coasted along the wooden bed post. "It's over Julius, let her go." He continued with assertion.

Julian's eyes hardened. "No."

Klaus gripped the post and broke it effortlessly in half, then sped directly in front of his brother looking his intently in the eyes. "I said release her!" he snarled.

Julian blinked and reluctantly complied, pulling out the key from his pocket and unlocking Elena's shackles. The second she was free she bolted into Damon's arms. He held her tightly, burying his face in her hair. Damon wanted nothing more but to run with her, but Julian's compulsion kept him grounded.

Klaus waited for Julian to turn around and face him before speaking again slowly. "Now…" he started. "Take this and drive it through your heart." He instructed persuasively; his eyes were as hard as ice.

The frightened look on Julian's face affected the older vampire in no way. He glanced from his brother to the large makeshift stake that was held out to him in an offering. "Klaus no…we're brothers!" he begged desperately.

"Brother or not, Julius…you've left me no choice. You're constant need to overthrow me has been a hindrance." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I grew tired of it centuries ago. I've warned you what would become of you if you crossed me again, and now you'll find out first hand." He nodded to the wooden post.

Julian unwillingly reached out and took the post in his shaky hands. "Please Klaus…I'm sorry!" he pleaded frantically in a last attempt.

"Go on." He urged with a hand. "You know I don't like it when you stall."

Damon, Elena and Klaus all watched as Julian raised the post to drive it with all his strength through his heart. Elena turned and hid in Damon's chest when she heard the impact, clutching his shirt in her fingers. The sound of his flesh being torn and the gasps and gurgles as Julian collapsed to the floor was all she heard. Damon held her close, staring on in relief and horror. He'd never seen something so brutal in all his years, and he had done his fair share of brutality. But for a vampire to be _forced_ to stake themselves under the compulsion of another vampire…he didn't even think that was possible.

"Little brothers…" Klaus mused wistfully looking down at the grey deceased body at his feet. "They're always such a pain, aren't they?"

Damon stared at the back of the blonde vampire. "Thank you…for saving her."

Klaus turned around as if just noticing that they were in the room, before offering a shrug. "It was in my best interest. Leave now before I change my mind." Damon had barely taken a step before he called out again. "Wait." He held one palm up. "Katerina's demise…was it at your hand?" he questioned emotionlessly.

Damon paused for a moment, not knowing what answer the other vampire wanted from him. "Yes…but she killed me first." He replied back with a dry humor.

Klaus chuckled and took a couple calculated steps forward. "I've been hunting her for centuries. Damon Salvatore is it?" he pronounced slowly in his British intonation.

The corner of Damon's lips curled up slightly. "Heard of me?" he asked with interest.

Klaus waved a hand flippantly. "Your name has been tossed around on a couple of occasions. I must warn you though," He linked both hands behind his back when he stood in front of them, casting a glance at Elena, who was holding onto Damon and staring at Klaus cautiously. "To be wary of Petrova women…they tend to only think of themselves."

Elena shook her head. "I'm nothing like Katherine." She whispered her voice dry and weak.

Klaus leveled his eyes with hers. "I prey to God that you aren't. Leave now…" he glanced back up at Damon and waved his hand in the direction of the stairs. "And take the peppy blonde with you."

Elena frowned and looked up at Damon. "Blonde? You brought Caroline?" she asked condemningly.

Damon shrugged helplessly. "She insisted."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Once they got back to the boarding house, Damon gently laid Elena down in his bed to rest, leaving a tray of food and a full glass of water for when she woke up. He could tell how worn out and tired she was, even after he fed her some of his blood to heal her wounds. He came down the stairs to find Caroline standing at the bottom with a glass of blood.

"Thank God we don't have to worry about that anymore." She sighed in relief before taking a sip.

There was a quick blur, and Damon found himself pinned against a wall, Stefan's hand around his throat. "Where is she!" he bellowed, the veins under his eyes protruding.

"Who now?" Damon wheezed. The strength in his grip suggested that his brother was still on a human diet, but Damon didn't feel threatened; he was still stronger.

Stefan slammed him against the wall again. "Katherine, Damon! I know you know where she is." He insisted darkly.

Damon pushed Stefan away sending his brother stumbling back. The older vampire straightened his shirt. "Katherine's dead, Stefan. I killed her." He explained quietly. He felt no remorse for killing her, but the broken look on Stefan's face made him feel a little guilty.

"What?" Stefan stumbled. Losing the ability to hold himself up on his own, he gripped the mantle of the fireplace.

Damon took a few cautious steps closer and cast a glance at Caroline nodding in the direction of the stairs. She quickly darted up them to check on Elena. "She stood between me and Elena, and I did what I had to, to insure her safety." He told him in a calm manner, he could see Stefan was close to falling off the precipice, and if he wanted to prevent the damage he would cause then he needed to handle this properly.

Stefan was breathing deeply, his chest rising and falling quickly as his wrapped him mind around what this all meant. His fangs descended and his eyes turned red, as he growled in rage clearing everything off the mantle with a sweep of his arm, flipping the couch and chucking the full decanter at the fire. The flames roared to life, illuminating the room brightly.

He was like a caged animal pacing, his body tense and coiled in defense. Damon sped up to him and held him by the shoulders, trying to catch his brother's eyes. "Stefan, calm down!" he ordered, placing on hand firmly at the back of his neck to get Stefan to focus on him. "I'm sorry…" he admitted. "I'm sorry that you're hurting because of what I did, but I did it to protect Elena…something we used to agree on." He continued softly.

Stefan's fangs receded, and tears fell repeatedly down his cheeks. He held onto Damon for support desperately. "I love her Damon." He cried, his green eyes meeting blue.

Damon nodded, knowing that he meant Katherine. "But she never loved us…all she cared about was herself." Damon did something that he hadn't done since him and Stefan were human…he hugged him, tightly, letting his brother sob into his shoulder for a few long minutes before Stefan pulled away sniffling.

He met Damon's eyes shamefully. "Is Elena alright?" The guilt for what he had done to her slammed into him full force, as well as what he did to Caroline, and the countless others he killed since then.

Damon nodded. He could here her heart pounding upstairs having obviously heard what just transpired, but he knew with Caroline there she would be okay. "She's fine…she's sleeping, or she was." He sighed. Damon squeezed Stefan's shoulder comfortingly when he saw the broken look on his face.

He shook his head sadly, looking down at his feet. "I was so mean to her…it was so easy to just…." He trailed off not able to find the words to explain.

"You shut off your emotions." Damon supplied knowingly.

Stefan nodded, looking at Damon again. "She chose you, they both did a-and…" he stuttered painfully. "And I didn't want to feel it anymore." Another tear tracked down his cheek and he swallowed around the knot in his throat.

"I know Stefan, I know…it's okay." He told him soothingly, like he had so many times when they were kids and Stefan had fallen out of the apple tree or when their mother died. Damon cradled his brother to his chest, letting him weep like a child into his shirt.

"I'm sorry Damon." Stefan mumbled over and over again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After an hour or Stefan had migrated to his bedroom, at Damon's request, telling him he needed to rest. Stefan didn't argue; he somberly made his way up the stairs, bypassing Caroline on the way. He grabbed her arm and immediately felt bad when her eyes widened in fear. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry I did this to you."

She released a relieved sigh. "It's okay…I'm over it. But thank you." He nodded once and continued up the stairs to his room. Caroline found Damon in the parlor room, straightening the couch and cleaning up the broken glass. "Hey…I'll do all this, go be with Elena. She needs you right now."

Damon exhaled deeply. "Thanks, Care…really, I appreciate it."

She smiled. "No problem…happy to help." She moved around the parlor picking up the items that were cleared off the mantle and put back what wasn't broken.

Damon smiled at her before heading up the stair to his room. He saw Elena sitting in the middle of his bed cross legged and nervously biting her thumbnail. She straightened the second she saw him. "Hey." She breathed much happier in his presence. Damon came and lay down on the bed, resting his head in her lap. She ran her fingers soothingly through his dark hair. "How's he doing?"

"Resting…" he mumbled; relaxed now that he was in her arms. "He's coming back to himself."

She nodded looking down at him. "That's good…I'm glad. Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about what had happened down there, or what he saw when he found her. Damon had been eerily silent since they left the mansion and it was worrying her.

"He's my brother and I hurt him. I stole his girlfriend and then killed his ex. He's a mess." He stated evasively.

Elena caressed his cheek, causing him to open his eyes and look up at her. "Are _you_ okay?" she reiterated with emphasis.

Damon smiled bleakly at her. "I'm happy that you're safe." He deflected again.

Elena's lips pursed disagreeably. "You're avoiding the question."

He sighed loudly and ran his hands over his face. "I'm fine Elena; I just feel…" he started. "I feel like…" he racked his brain for the word but it wouldn't come.

"You feel guilty." She stated knowingly, her fingers still gently caressing his face.

"Yes." He admitted quietly.

"It's a natural human emotion Damon."

Damon sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to her. "But I'm not _human_ Elena." He retorted bitterly.

Elena scooted up and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder and placing a kiss there. "Maybe not, but you were once." Her hand ran a path up his abs to his heart, leaving it there. "You have more humanity in you than you think." She whispered into his neck.

Damon turned his head slightly to smile lovingly down at her. "Because of you."


	19. The Date

Chapter 19: The Date

Damon opened his eyes slowly to see Elena's peaceful face resting on his bare chest. Her dark mane was spread over the alabaster skin of his arm and shoulder, and cascading down her olive toned back. It still astonished him every morning that this was Elena in his arms and not Katherine. They may look the same but whether she was awake or sleeping, Katherine was never peaceful. Many times he had woken with Katherine in his bed, but never like this; with her curled in his arms and a sleepy smile on her face.

His eyes etched a path from the crown of her hairline over her eyebrows, lids and lashes, down the slop of her nose and the curve of her lips and down the expanse of her neck. She was beautiful in every way. Reluctantly, Damon slipped out of the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. Elena stirred slightly, and cuddled deeper into the pillow that his head recently occupied. He moved to his dresser and pulled Stefan's ring out from the leather box in the top drawer.

Damon made his way to Stefan's room and pushed the door open. His brother was sitting against the wall of a darkened corner, his knees up and his arms resting languorously on them. "Hey…I figured you'd need this back." Damon tossed it to him and he caught it easily.

Stefan slid it on and pushed himself to his feet walking over to his armoire to pick out a shirt. "Thank you." He stated fixing Damon with a grateful glance.

Damon leaned against the door jab watching as Stefan pulled a t shirt over his head. "There's some blood in the fridge, nothing of the furry critter kind but-"

"I can't…" Stefan cut him off shaking his head. "Not now."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well you have to eat _something_, don't starve yourself." He saw Stefan shake his head again. "What were you up to while you were gone?" Damon asked curiously.

"I was looking for Katherine." Stefan explained vaguely as he sat on his bed pulling on socks.

Damon blinked, unconvinced. "That's all?"

Stefan huffed. "I did a lot of things I'm not proud of Damon…I don't want to talk about it." He admitted firmly pinning Damon with a stare.

Damon lifted his hands in a sign of surrender. "Okay…" he was about to turn around to leave when Stefan spoke again.

"You're different." He observed. Damon faced him with a raised brow. "I noticed it last night. The way you dealt with me, how you are with Elena…she's changed you."

Damon smirked. "Don't tell her that…she likes to gloat."

"I'm serious Damon…Last night I saw the man you used to be before Katherine came along, my brother; the one who would come to my aid when I fell out of the apple tree." Damon smiled fondly, remembering that he had thought the same thing last night. "I'm proud of you."

Damon swallowed tightly, a feeling of contentment washing over him. The last person who said those words to him was his mother when he went for his first ride with Iris. He chose not to linger on it for too long, and changed the subject. "You should get out…hunt; eat a deer or something." He suggested again, with an air of indifference. Damon didn't know why he said it. He could have said thanks or some other kind of appreciation, but instead it was his natural impulse to deflect.

Stefan started shaking his head. "Damon-"

"You can't beat yourself up over things you can't change, Stefan." Damon cut him off gently. He shrugged. "All we can do is move on." With a sad half smile and a nod Damon left Stefan's room and was heading for the stairs when he saw Elena come out of his room dressed with her purse, jacket and shoes on. "Morning." She smiled and met him at the top leaning up to give him a kiss. "Where are you going, I was just about to makes us some breakfast."

Elena pouted. She loved his cooking…he always made the perfect eggs benedict. "Thanks but I can't stay…Jenna's freaking out wondering where I've been. I need to do damage control." She grumbled as she followed Damon down the staircase. "I have no idea what I'm gonna tell her."

When he got to the bottom, he met Elena's gaze from her spot on the last step. "You want me to come with you?" he offered.

"Maybe later tonight?" She lovingly placed her hands on his shoulder giving him a small smirk. "I should probably tell her I have a boyfriend before I bring you around." Elena frowned at Damon's grimace of contempt. "What?"

"Boyfriend?" He spat the word out like it was vervain in his mouth. "It sounds so ordinary."

Elena closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Well what should I call you then?" she smirked playfully. "My man-friend, my lover, my soul mate-"

Damon stopped her with his finger to her lips. "That's the one." He rested his hands on her hips. "Sounds more permanent."

Elena beamed up at him with a bright smile. "I love you." She said brushing her lips against his.

Damon rested his forehead against hers. "I love you too…now go before I think of ways to make you stay." He smirked smacking her ass teasingly.

She jumped with a giggle as she headed for the door, leaving with one last smile.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When Elena got walked in the front door, Jenna called out to her from the living room. "Elena?"

"Yeah." She called back, and seconds later Jenna was in front of her. "I'm sorry I haven't been home." She apologized lamely.

Her aunt gave her a steely look. "Where were you, Elena? I thought you agreed not to do this anymore."

Elena sighed. "I know and I'm sorry, but I can explain everything." She followed Jenna into the living room and sat down on the couch, facing her.

Jenna had a look of worry on her face. "Please tell me you're not doing drugs."

Elena tried not to laugh. If only her aunt really knew what she was up to. "I'm not…do you remember Stefan?" she asked hesitantly.

Jenna frowned. "Your ex?"

She nodded. "Yeah well…" Elena decided the best way to go about this was to give her a variation of the truth. "A while ago he went looking for Katherine, this girl that he was in love with…" she paused before continuing. "It didn't end well."

Jenna blinked. "What does that have to do with why you haven't been home?"

"I was staying with him until he felt better…he was a mess. I had to be there for him." She shrugged, fidgeting with her hands.

Her aunt's eyes narrowed. "You were sleeping at a guy's house…alone?" she added as an after thought.

"Damon was there." It was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Damon?" Jenna questioned with concern. "Why do I have a feeling Damon's not a dog?" she grumbled rhetorically.

Elena pursed her lips. "He's Stefan's brother." This wasn't exactly the way she wanted to tell Jenna about Damon, but she couldn't keep it from her now.

Jenna nodded once, quirking her lips unhappily. "So you spent _all _this time staying with _two_ boys, all alone." She held up two fingers to emphasize. "You're seventeen Elena. I cannot let this happen. I let you get away with things, but not this." She stressed shaking her head.

"Aunt Jenna-"

"No Elena…you don't even know these guys that well." Jenna interjected.

"Yes I do." Elena sighed in frustration. "Stefan found out that the love of his life was dead, he needed me." She watched as her aunt's face softened and her jaw dropped. "And Damon…Damon is my boyfriend." She rushed out awkwardly. The word sounded weird to her, but she figured calling him her soul mate would only wig Jenna out.

Jenna blinked a couple of times, processing the new information. "Wait…you're going out with your ex's boyfriend's brother?"

Elena nodded. "It's odd I know…but it's love and it's real." She explained softly with a smile.

"So you've been sleeping over at you boyfriend's house." She clarified further.

Elena bit her lip. "Yeeah…"

Jenna huffed. "I liked it better when I thought he was a dog." She joked gracing Elena with a half smile.

Elena laughed. "I think you'll like him."

"Doubt that."

"Really though…once you get to know him, you'll see how I fell for him." Elena looked up when Jeremy ambled into the room from upstairs.

"Talking about Damon?" he questioned with a smirk in his sister's direction.

Jenna raised a brow. "You know Damon?"

Jeremy threw himself on the couch in between the two women. "Yeah…he's pretty cool. He's got this tough guy front that he puts up, but you can tell he gets all soft when it comes to Elena." He stated casually how broken he looked when he told them Katherine took her.

"Well," Jenna started. "I'd like to meet him…exercise some intensive parental interrogation of his intentions." She claimed with mirth.

Elena chuckled. "Don't scare him away now."

Jeremy scoffed at that. "She won't. I don't think anything will."

They both stared at him; Jenna curiously, and Elena glaring in a way that told him to shut up. "What does that mean?" their aunt asked.

He shrugged. "Damon's very serious about Elena."

"Jer…" his sister mumbled nervously. Jeremy saying things like that would only make Jenna more wary of him.

Thankfully for her, he got her warning and backtracked. "I just mean he loves her…he wouldn't give her up for anything." At least he thought he was helping.

Elena forced herself not to bury her face in her hands at Jenna's next words. "He's not some creepy, obsessive stalker is he?"

Jeremy laughed at the irony of it all. She thought Damon was the creepy one when it was his brother that was obsessed. Elena shook her head. "No! It's just…" she paused to find the right words. "When Damon loves, he loves with everything he has…it's kinda romantic." She grinned giddily.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Okay…I've had enough girl talk." He jumped up and headed to the kitchen.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later that night Elena sat down next to Damon in the living room curling into his side and handing him a glass of blood. "I told Jenna about you." She said with a small smirk.

Damon raised his brows, accepting the glass she offered and taking a small sip. "Yeah? What did she have to say?"

"That you were too old for me; a centuries old vampire has no business dating a seventeen year old girl." She told him deadpanned. She giggled at his wide eyes look. "I'm kidding…she wants to meet you; enforce some parental control. She wasn't too thrilled about me spending so much time here."

Damon slung an arm around her shoulders, bring her closer to him. "You told her you were staying here…I'm sure that went over well."

Elena shrugged. "I didn't know what else to tell her…the truth was out of the question. I won't be able to spend the night as much." Her lips curled up slightly at Damon's pout. "I'm sorry, but Jenna's setting her rules."

Damon raised his eyebrows with a sly grin. "Well I've set rules of my own."

"Really?" she inquired playfully.

"Mhm." Damon nodded once. "I'm not allowed to sleep alone. I need a chaperone." He shifted so he was turned towards Elena. "So here's what I suggest; on the nights you can't stay here, I'll come over there." He stated simply.

Elena gave him a disbelieving look. "You really think Jenna would go for that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Well she doesn't have to know…I'll be stealthy. Could be fun…sneaking around like a couple of teenagers." He proposed, wagging his brows.

Elena huffed a laugh. "You forget that I _am_ in fact a teenager."

"Then _I'll_ sneak around like a teenager. As long as I get rewarded for my efforts I don't see there being a problem." He arched his eyebrows cheekily.

"Do you wanna have dinner with us tonight?" she asked with a giggle.

"Mmm…are you on the menu?" Damon buries his face in Elena's neck playfully nipping at her skin.

She pushed his away lightheartedly. "Maybe, if you behave. But seriously, it would mean a lot to me." She smiled when Damon linked his hand with hers and brought it up to his lips for a kiss.

"Like I could ever say 'no' to you." He whispered against her skin with a small smirk. He knew he was a willing slave to her wishes. "When do you wanna go?"

Elena shrugged. "In like an hour or so."

Damon's small smirk turned into a wolf grin. "Well I know how we can kill some time."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later that night Jeremy and Damon sat in front of the couch playing video games while Elena and Jenna cooked. Damon had offered to help but Elena insisted that he give her and Jenna this time to talk.

"He is ridiculously hot." Jenna whispered casting a glance at the back of his head.

Elena smiled fondly. "I know…" her eyes landed on him too. "I got lucky with him." She assumed Damon heard this, because he turned around and flashed her a bright smile.

Jenna moved around her towards the fridge to pull out the salad. "I believe he thinks he's the lucky one. I like him Elena." She nodded her approval. "Jeremy seems to like him too…he's good with him."

"Yeah, ever since Damon came along I've seen a change in him. Jer needed a male figure in his life." She stated cutting the tomatoes to throw in the salad.

Jenna's smile faded slightly looking at the love struck look in her niece's eyes as she stared at Damon. "I'm happy for you Elena…I just don't want you to get hurt." She finished lowering her voice and placing a hand on Elena's shoulder.

The younger woman frowned in confusion, pulling her gaze away. "What do you mean?"

Jenna shrugged. "It's just you seem…very invested in this relationship. The way you talk about him…" she hesitated not knowing how to continue.

Elena's face turned stony as she glared at her aunt. She knew where this was going and she didn't like it at all. "What Aunt Jenna?"

Jenna huffed a nervous laugh. "Come on, you can't actually believe this will last forever? You're young…you've got your whole life ahead of you." Her eyes shifted to Damon in the living room still playing a racing game with Jeremy.

Elena followed her gaze and noticed the tension in his rigid shoulders and neck. Damon was furious and so was Elena. She turned her stony eyes back on her aunt and placed a hand on her cocked hip. "I love him…and he loves me too; it will last, just because your relationships failed doesn't mean mine will." She snapped in a voice that didn't sound like her own.

Jenna reeled back blinking. "That was harsh, Elena." She pushed away from the counter and pulled out the plates from the cabinets. "And for you're information, I have a date coming tonight." She added resolutely before casting a glance at her watch. "Sometime tonight anyway." She mumbled more to herself.

Elena sighed and her hard face dropped. "I'm sorry, but things are different with Damon." She cast a glance at him. "It's real with him."

Jenna tilted her head to the side looking at her niece. "Real enough for marriage…kids?" she whispered seriously.

Elena rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying that's gonna happen _now_, Aunt Jenna." She bowed her head and fiddled with her hands. "And besides…Damon can't have children." Elena mumbled.

Jenna blinked. "What?"

"Damon can't have kids." She stated again quietly.

"As in he doesn't want them?" Jenna inquired curiously.

"As in he physically _can't_ have them." Elena explained further.

Jenna walked towards her niece and placed a hand on her arm. "But you love kids…"

"I know."

"You've always wanted to be a mom Elena-"

"I know, Jenna." Elena cut her off darting a look at Damon. She saw him sigh; his shoulders sagging slightly. "But it doesn't matter." She said louder so he could hear her. "He's what I want now." Elena watched as Damon put down the controller, stand up and walk away, earning a 'hey' from her brother. "I'll be right back…don't forget to take the roast out." She informed. Knowing Jenna's track record with cooking, it was always best to remind her.

Elena followed Damon to the front door. "Hey…" she called out catching up to him. "Where are you going?" She stopped him with a hand on his arm.

Damon sighed, looking anywhere but at her. "I shouldn't be here…"

"Yes you should." She replied firmly standing in front of the door when he made a move for the knob. "Come on…I know you heard all that but Jenna doesn't understand; she doesn't understand what's between us." Elena closed the distance and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Please don't leave…"

Damon looked down at her his fingers playing with the wavy tips of her hair. "Being with me is holding you back from the things you really want…I want you to be happy." He stated with a sad half smile.

Elena smiled brightly. "I _am _happy, Damon. This…right here, this is what makes me happy. So…come back to the kitchen and have dinner with me and my family." Even though her voice was light and sweet, it left no room for argument.

Damon smirked rolling his eyes up playfully. "Fine…you win." He leaned down and captured her lips with his. He let Elena guide him back into the kitchen holding his hand.

Jenna and Jeremy looked up when the two of them walked into the room. "Hey…dinner's ready." Jenna announced setting up the plates.

"A little too ready." Jeremy snickered looking at the slightly burnt roast. "Ow!" he cried when his aunt smacked him upside the head.

"Thanks Jenna…I really appreciate you having me over." He took a spot next to Elena at the table, smiling at her when she lovingly placed a hand on his thigh.

Jenna smiled kindly. "Of course…Elena's talked so much about you, I needed to put a face to the name." she placed the salad bowl on the table and sat across from Elena. "So where'd you grow up?"

"Here actually." Damon admitted much to Jenna's surprise.

"Really?" she frowned. "I grew up here…I don't recall seeing you or Stefan around."

Damon backtracked. "Well, our family traveled a lot…but I always considered Mystic Falls home." He cast a side glance at Elena, linking his hand with hers under the table.

Elena looked at their burnt dinner. "You know maybe we should have let Damon cook…this looks uneatable." She chuckled, poking her fork at it.

Jenna's head shot up. "You can cook?"

Damon smirked a little. "Very well actually; I've learned some great recipes from the best chefs in Sicily." _And I've had about a hundred years of experience._ He added silently in his head. Elena must have somehow known what he was thinking because she giggled quietly.

Jenna raised a brow, impressed. "I like you more already. I can't cook…obviously." She gestured to the roast. "You can cook next time…" she stood up picking up the roast. "Why don't we scrap this and order in, hm?" she took the burnt roast into the kitchen, leaving Jeremy, Elena and Damon alone.

Elena smiled brightly. "See…next time. You're swaying her already." She leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss.

"Whoa, hey! Easy with the PDA, guys." Jeremy interrupted disturbed. "I don't wanna see that."

Damon frowned. "What is it?" Elena asked him lowly.

"Someone's here." He replied shortly glancing at the front door. It wasn't two seconds later when the doorbell rang throughout the house.

Jenna rushed back past the dining room towards the room. "I got it!"

"Who's that?" Jer asked.

"Probably Jenna's date." Elena mumbled back.

Jeremy frowned. "Date?" he mouthed confused.

"Hey come on in…we were just going to order some Chinese food." They heard Jenna tell their new guest as they walked towards the dinning room.

"I love Chinese food."

Jeremy, Damon and Elena all started at the new man standing before them. "This is Jeremy, Elena, and her boyfriend Damon. Guys this is-"

"Elijah." He interrupted, his eyes pinned on Damon's. "Pleasure to _finally_ meet you."

A/n: Wow. Sorry that it took me so long to update, I was having a sad case of writer's block. Anyhoo I hope this long chapter makes up for it….and sorry about the cliffhanger but I had to keep you coming back for more right? Lol. So what does Elijah want? So many possibilities with this one. I love you guys for reviewing and still reading after I made you wait so long….you guys are awesome!


	20. A Story Is Told

Chapter 20: A Story Is Told

After a very tense dinner, Damon motioned for Elena to follow him to the front door. Elena watched curiously as Damon opened the door and stepped out, holding it open for her.

"I don't like this." He blurted out lowly, as he paced I front of her.

She shook her head. "Don't like what? Damon, what's going on?" her eyes followed his every move. It wasn't often that Damon got nervous like this and it was making her nervous.

Damon frowned suspiciously. "Jenna's date…have you met him before?"

Elena's brows furrowed deeply. "No…"

"Did Jenna tell you how she knows him?" He looked past her through the window by the door to catch a peek of Elijah.

She placed a hand to her head as she tried to think. "Um…she mentioned meeting a guy from the Historical Society before…she was interviewing him for her thesis. Do you think he's a vampire?" she whispered. She didn't why she was whispering…if he was a vampire he would hear her anyway and if he wasn't…well then he wouldn't hear her at all.

Damon's jaw was tense and twitching. "Yes…and he's been invited in. Damn it!" he growled, slamming his open palm against the pillar on her porch, creating a dent.

Elena's eyes widened and she panicked. "He's in there alone with them Damon!" she rushed towards the door, but was stopped by his hand on her wrist.

"I can hear everything that's going on. Jenna and Jeremy are fine." Damon reassured her as calmly as he could.

Elena sighed with relief, but also stressed with what this meant. "What do you think he wants?"

"I don't know." He walked determinately back into the house with Elena close on his heels.

Jenna lit up when she say the two of them walk back into the dining room. "Hey, there you guys are! Elijah was just telling us about the original founding families of Mystic Falls." She took a sip of her tea and turned her attention back to Elijah.

Damon stayed standing, Elena close to his side. He looked the other vampire over with critical eyes. "Really now?"

Elijah smiled pleasantly. "Why yes…you see there were myths of demons; vampires if you will," he stated indulgently as he rolled his eyes up. "taking the lives of the townspeople."

"Vampires?" Damon questioned doubtfully. Both he and Elena caught the stunned look on Jeremy's face and the question in his eyes as he glanced between Damon and Elena.

Elijah shrugged. "Well that was the myth, in the end it was chalked up to animal attacks and mentally damaged confederate soldiers, but back then believing in something as farfetched as vampires was not uncommon. There was a story that two brothers from one of the founding families fell in love with one." Elijah kept his eyes trained on Damon for a long moment, before turning back to Jenna with a smile.

Elena's eyes drifted up to look at Damon to catch his reaction to Elijah's words. His face held no emotion whatsoever. It reminded her of who he used to be before Bonnie's spell…seeing Damon so void of emotion was not something she was used to since then.

"She manipulated and turned them against each other," He continued. "before damning them for the rest of eternity."

Jeremy's eyes bounced between Damon and Elijah. "She made them vampires?" he questioned more to be certain than out of curiosity.

"Yes." He replied simply.

Jenna shook her head sadly. "That's horrible! Those poor boys."

Elijah nodded once in concurrence, as he took a sip of his tea. "But what she didn't know was how special they were." His eyes locked on Damon's intensely. "The eldest especially."

Elena realized she hadn't said a word this whole time, and with the short moment of silence between them she decided to break it. "How so?" her voice was low and rough with fear, and anxiousness.

Elijah raised his brows with a sort of pride, but to Jenna of Jeremy it looked like he was just amused by the story. "He was to do great things, just like the many men before him, and now with this newfound power…the world was his for the taking." He held out his hands, with a small smirk of arrogance. "A true natural born killer; caring for nothing but his own personal desires." He sighed almost dramatically. "But he changed his tune; fell in love…" he eyes drifted to Elena. "and buried his killer instinct."

Damon shrugged with a smile of his own. "I guess love does conquer all." The arm he had around Elena's waist tightened in a protective and comforting gesture.

"But the story doesn't end like that see," Elijah continued yet again. This time he focused on Jenna and Jeremy, leaning on the table as if he were conspiring about something secret. "The eldest brother is one of many in his lineage. All damned to the same fate as the one before…all special in their own way, and together…they could create and army." He explained casting a glance at the younger vampire.

"Why would he want to do that?" Damon questioned with contained rage. He didn't like where this was going. Clearly Elijah's reasoning for being here had nothing to do with Jenna or Elena…but everything to do with this story.

Elijah shrugged. "Well the others didn't give him much of a choice. They promised to kill the love of his life if he didn't follow through." Elena had to hold in her gasp at the sincerity and coldness that reflected in his green orbs. He tilted his head as he observed her.

The air was tight with tension. The only person who was completely clueless to the hidden meaning behind his words was Jenna and she was wide eyed and intrigued with the story.

"So what happened?" Jeremy asked, looking worriedly at his sister.

"I can't be certain." Elijah admitted. "but I _assume_ he made the logical decision." He stressed.

Jenna shook her head. "Wow…I feel sorry for him; forced apart from the one you love, or let them die." She shuddered, oblivious to the way Damon looked horrified and furious at the same time, and the way Elena was clinging to him, swallowing against the lump in her throat.

Elijah placed his hand over Jenna's. "But of course…" his gaze moved from her to Damon with a sickening smile. "It's only a story."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Later, after Elijah bid them all goodnight, Damon followed Elena up to her room where she immediately started panicking.

"Calm down, Elena." Damon tried as she paced, running her hands through her hair, and taking shallow uneven breaths.

Elena whipped around to stare at him in disbelief. "Calm down? Damon, did you hear any of what he just said? He wants you to be apart of some deranged mass murdering vampire army….calm is not something that I can grasp right now." She heaved a sigh and collapsed on her bed.

Damon sat on the edge stroking her cheek affectionately. "You don't need to worry okay…I would never do anything that would put you in danger." He was almost surprised with how calm he was right now. But he knew why…it was because he already made his decision.

He knew the threat that Elijah exploited was not exaggerated or fictitious and something told him that he was a lot older than he was. He lay down beside Elena and held her until she fell asleep, thinking about the next day…and the sacrifice he would have to make to keep her alive.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena woke up the next morning alone with nothing but a note sitting on her pillow. She looked around with a sleepy frown on her face, searching for Damon in her room. As she sat up, Damon's elegant handwriting popped out off the slip of paper, urging her to read it.

_Good morning,_

_Didn't want to wake you, you were sleeping so peacefully. _

_I needed to do a couple of things but I'll call you when I'm done._

_I love you Beautiful!_

_Damon_

Elena smiled softly to herself and pushed herself to her feet, yawning audibly. She made her way downstairs for a coffee, shuffling her feet lazily into the kitchen.

"Hey…" Jeremy called out quietly getting her attention.

Elena jumped a little before relaxing. "Morning…where's Jenna?" she poured coffee for herself into her favorite cup.

Jeremy's eyes lifted to the ceiling. "Sleeping. Listen, that Elijah guy…is he a vampire?" he whispered coming to stand next to Elena. She nodded. "Was he for real….about that story; was he talking about Damon?"

"I don't know Jeremy." She lied, looking down at her coffee. "But its okay…Damon would never do that…he's better than that."

Jeremy's jaw tightens. "Well the other option didn't sound too great either, Elena. He threatened to kill you…would Damon let that happen?" he retorted with contained rage.

Elena felt bad for her brother. He was thrust into this world and he was forced to understand and face things that he otherwise wouldn't have concerned himself with. "Of course not, Jeremy! We'll find another way…we always do." She shrugged as if it was no big deal, but in her heart she was terrified.

"How?" he asked in confusion. "If he was serious about all that then I'm pretty sure he made himself clear."

"Jer," Elena cut him off. She had enough of her own thoughts running through her head; she didn't need Jeremy's worries on top of that. "Stop worrying, okay? We'll figure it out." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "_Don't worry_." She stressed.

"How can I not, Elena? You're my sister, of course I'm gonna be worried." The younger Gilbert argued. Why she acted like the end of her life was insignificant was beyond him.

"Worried about what?" Jenna questioned as she shuffled into the kitchen. She yawned as she scratched the back of her head.

Elena smiled easily. "Oh Jer's just looking out for me." She lovingly ruffled his hair. "Damon was thinking of taking me on a little trip for my birthday…I just don't think he wants me to leave." She teased, ignoring the shocked glance he shot her.

Jenna's eyebrows shot up. "A trip? Where, for how long?" she fired out a hand on her cocked hip.

"Not far and only for a couple of days." Elena replied promptly. Her and Damon did have a brief conversation about this, but nothing set in stone yet; and considering her birthday was a couple weeks away she just hoped she lived until then.

Jenna stared at her with her lips quirked in discontent. "That's it, that's all you're gonna give me?" 

Elena shrugged. "Nothing's set in stone yet. Anyways…" she finished off her coffee and quickly put it in the sink. "I'm gonna go get ready…I'm getting picked up in half an hour." She rushed out of the kitchen and bolted up the stairs. She couldn't get away from that situation fast enough. School would be a happy distraction.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damon rolled the car to a stop in front of the school. "Are you sure you don't want to come back to the Boarding House? I don't know how comfortable I am leaving you here unprotected." He glanced around through the side window.

Elena placed a comforting hand over his. "I'll be fine. I've got Bonnie and Caroline." She assured.

Damon rolled his eyes dramatically. "Bonnie and Caroline are _no_ match for Elijah; they'd be dead before you could blink. Maybe I should stick around." He suggested coolly, but he couldn't shake the fear he had of leaving her alone.

Elena smiled. "I'll be _fine_, Damon, I promise. The second so much as a hair is harmed I'll let you know." She chuckled playfully.

"Not funny." Damon stated with a little smirk. He leaned forward tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, and kissing her. "I would be devastated…I love your hair." He teased back. "I love you…call me, and I'll be here." He waited for her to nod, and then Damon kissed her again.

"I love you too." She expressed. "Try not to do something stupid, okay?" Elena got out of the car and reached in the backseat to grab her bag.

Damon scoffed. "Thanks sweetheart for having so much faith in me." He stated sarcastically placing a hand over his heart.

Elena leaned in through the window. "I have faith in you Damon…remember that." She blew him a kiss and walked off towards her school.

Damon watched and waited until she entered before pulling away and heading back to the Boarding House.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena closed her locker after her third period and headed outside to meet Caroline in the courtyard. Her English class was the only one she didn't have either her or Bonnie in and it went by far too slow for her liking. She stepped outside into the sunshine, letting it warm her skin. She nearly jumped when someone fell into step beside her.

"I believe you and I need to talk Elena…there is business to discuss." Elijah stated casually, linking his hands behind his back.

Elena took a shaky breath glancing around to see if anyone was watching her talking with a strange man in a suit. "What is there to discuss? It seems you made yourself pretty clear." She replied as calmly as she could.

"Yes, I thought so, but my concern is that you will stand in the way of Damon's decision."

Elena frowned. "_Damon's_ decision? You didn't really give him a choice." She retorted bitterly. She stopped walking and crossed her arms. "Damon would never let any harm come to me, but I'm not going to let you destroy him like this…he's come too far for me to let that happen." She stated bravely.

Elijah chuckled. "And what exactly do you presume to do about it? Kill me? Sic your little vampire friend Caroline over there on me, hm? I would rip her heart out in seconds." He nodded his head in her blonde friend's direction who was watching intently, ready to step in at a moments notice. "You might want to let her know that." He glanced over at her and shot an evil smirk. Elena caught Caroline's eyes and gave a shaky nod. "Now…" he continued. "Damon will be leaving with me by nightfall tomorrow; his fate is sealed…yours however is not. Do not disappoint me Ms. Gilbert." With that said, Elijah walked off leaving Elena standing there terrified.

Caroline rushed over with Bonnie not far behind. "Elena, are you okay?"

"What was that about?" Bonnie asked shortly afterward.

Elena shook her head. "Not here. I have to go to the Boarding House…can you drive me?" she asked Caroline as they were already heading in the direction of her car.

"Of course. Bonnie you're coming too." The blonde insisted unlocking her Ford.

Once they were in the car and on their way to Damon's Bonnie piped up from the backseat. "Is anyone going to tell me what just happened back there?"

Elena turned around in her seat. "Elijah wants Damon to be apart of some vampire army."

Bonnie's eyes shot open. "What? Damon would never do that. Not now; not after everything the two of you have been through."

"He's not really leaving him with much choice." Care added somberly. "If he doesn't he'll kill Elena." She mumbled through the roughness in her throat.

"We won't let that happen Elena…I promise." Bonnie placed a comforting hand on Elena's shoulder. "We can take him out." 

Elena huffed a sarcastic laugh. "We can't just kill him Bonnie, he's old, which means he's stronger than us all." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. The rest of the trip was made in silence, and the second Caroline pulled into the driveway, Elena was already undoing her seatbelt and opening the door.

"Wait until I stop the car…" Caroline shouted out after her. "Geez."

"Damon!" Elena yelled as she entered, immediately going to the parlor room. It only took Damon seconds to appear in front of her.

"What happened?" he questioned worriedly.

"Elijah popped by the school for a visit." She rushed out.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you go." He mumbled in rage. "What did he do, did he hurt you?"

Elena shook her head. "No, he didn't touch me…he just wanted to talk."

Damon frowned in confusion. Talking was not the first thing that came to his mind. "Talk? What did he want to talk to you about?" he poured himself a drink and swallowed it down quickly.

Elena eyed him curiously. "He said he didn't want me to stand in the way of your decision." She watched as Damon closed the distance between them quickly, soothingly running his hands up and down her bare arms.

Damon looked her in the eyes. "Whatever choice I make is with your best interest at heart. You are not getting caught up in this." He stated firmly.

Elena stared at him for a long while. "You say that like your mind is already made up. Did you talk to Elijah today?" she asked nervously. Damon broke her gaze and she knew she had her answer. "No! Damon how could you make that kind of decision without talking to me about it first?" she yelled pulling away from him.

Caroline and Bonnie came in stopping at the entrance to the parlor. "Did we interrupt something?" Bonnie asked hesitantly, seeing the look of rage, and the fresh tears leaking from Elena's eyes.

"No." Elena replied still glaring at Damon. "I was just leaving." She turned around, her hair flipping behind her and stormed back towards the door.

"Elena!" Damon called out, speeding over to her and closing the door. "Don't leave like this." He whispered roughly nuzzling his face in her shoulder.

She couldn't turn around and face him for fear that the tears would never stop. "You mean like you planned to?" she shot at him thickly through her tears. "Let me go Damon…please?" she begged.

Damon shook his head. "I can't." he whispered dejectedly.

Elena sighed. "I'll come back…I just need to be alone right now."

Damon waited a few beats before slowly lifting his hand off the door. "Promise?" Elena nodded and opened the door, glancing back at him sadly. He grabbed her wrist lightly. "I love you."

She gave him a watery smile. "I love you too." She walked back to the car and waited in the backseat as Caroline and Bonnie slipped out past Damon awkwardly. They walked quickly to the car and drove off. It was a few minutes before Bonnie's spoke up.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked hesitantly. Bonnie had decided on sitting in the back with her.

Elena swallowed her tears and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I thought he'd at least _talk_ to me before meeting with Elijah." she choked out. "I bet he had his mind made up yesterday. Uugh I'm so mad right now." She growled rolling her eyes up.

Bonnie frowned in confusion. "I don't get it…Damon is saving your life and…that makes you mad?"

Elena shook her head. "He's leaving; destroying everything that he worked so hard to get all because some _vampire _told him to." She spat bitterly. "And he made his decision without even telling me. We could have figured something out, we could have run somewhere." She rambled through her tears, wiping them on her sleeve.

Caroline glanced in the rearview mirror sadly.

"He had no choice Elena." Bonnie soothingly rubbed her friend's back. "He was doing what was best for you."

Elena sighed heavily. "This is not what's best for me…and it's not what's best for him either. He's making a mistake." She caught eye of The Grill coming up in front of them. "Caroline can you just let me out here."

Caroline caught her eyes in the mirror. "What? Lena, you really shouldn't be alone tonight, we can go back to my house and have a girl's night!" she suggested with an over enthusiastic smile.

Elena rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine, just let me out, please." She snapped tensely. The last thing she wanted was to pretend like Damon was leaving to fulfill some evil vampire prophecy.

"Okay." She mumbled back quietly as she pulled into The Grill's parking lot.

The brunette immediately undid her seat belt and jumped out. "Thank you guys…but there's something I really have to do." She said leaning into the driver window.

"What are you gonna do, Elena?" Bonnie questioned leaning forward.

"What I have to." As she was about the walk in, Caroline grabbed her arm.

"Elena!" she said worriedly. "Be careful."

She forced a smile for her friends and entered the restaurant, glancing around cautiously. When she spotted who she was looking for, she took a deep breath and made her way to the bar, sitting on the stool beside him.

He didn't even have to look to know it was her. "Why hello Elena, pleasure to see you again." Elijah drawled before taking a sip of his drink.

Elena put on a hard face and leaned on the bar. "Wish I could say the same."

He chuckled turning towards her. "May I remind you that you sought me out? How did you happen to find me anyway?" he asked purely out of curiosity.

She shrugged. "It's a small town, and you seemed like the drinking type." Elena nodded to the scotch in his hand.

"You guessed correctly. So Ms. Gilbert, I assume you spoke with Damon?" he questioned with a smirk.

"I did….but I have other ideas." She crossed her arms over her chest and locked her eyes on his.

"You did?"

"Damon is not going with you." She stated bravely.

Elijah's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh he's not?"

"I'm not going to let you destroy his soul like that." She continued narrowing her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest for being so bold to a man that could kill her within seconds, but she had to be strong.

Elijah laughed. "Oh Elena…he doesn't have a soul, and neither do I…it makes it a lot easier to kill you and not feel bad about it." He tossed back the rest of his drink and started to stand up. "It's too bad really…you're a brave woman with a loyal heart. Damon would be proud to know someone loves him so much." He placed a twenty dollar bill from his pocket down onto the bar. "Damon leaves with me tomorrow night…a deal is a deal."

Elena stood as well and grabbed him arm to stop him from leaving. "Well I'm renegotiating. You're an honorable man Elijah, at least hear me out." She waited as he sat back down and waved at the bartender to get him another scotch. "Take me with you."

Again Elijah looked surprised. "I beg your pardon?"

Elena nodded. "You heard me. Take me with you…Damon needs me, and I need him." She said trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. She had no idea what she was doing, and she had no idea if he would agree, but she had to give it a shot.

"I'm sorry Ms. Gilbert but you weren't a part of the deal." He told her a little stunned that she would make an offer like that.

Elena leaned in closer. "Then make me a part of it." she hissed. "I don't care what I have to do but I'm not letting you leave without me."

"And what exactly am I to do with you Elena?" he arched an eyebrow at her as he sipped his drink. "What do you have to offer me?"

"I'm a doppelganger." She blurted out.

He nodded. "Yes I'm aware of that. A rare find indeed."

Elena nodded, exhaling slowly. "That means something to you?"

"Of course. Anyone would find it fascinating…but the Original vampires can understand their true value." He admitted quietly as to not be heard by anyone around them.

Elena leaned in a little closer with anticipation. "Which is?"

He smirked. "Blood, of course. It is the key ingredient to several curses…among other things." he insinuated with a raised brow. "Those that knew you existed would take advantage of that. You are much safer hidden here in little Mystic Falls." He suggested quietly.

Elena narrowed her eyes in a confused manner. "Well wouldn't I be safer with you? If you take Damon I'll have no one to protect me; I'll be as good as dead." She had no idea if Elijah was buying into her, and she had no idea if she was right in even considering going to this extreme to stay with Damon…nut she knew she couldn't stay here.

"You'd be in more danger if you come, Elena." He admitted casually. "A battle between vampires and werewolves is no place for a fragile human such as yourself."

Elena blinked in shock. "What?" she whispered sharply. "Werewolves?" she repeated.

"Yes…did you think we would be going to war with _humans_? That would be useless as well as foolish." He chuckled before taking a sip of his scotch. "You do not kill off your food supply."

"Werewolves exist?" she whispered in curiosity.

Elijah raised his brows and looked sideways at her. "This surprises you? You're best friend is a witch and you're in love with a vampire…I thought you out of all people would believe that it's possible."

Elena sighed. "It's just that Damon didn't even know that werewolves existed. They must be well hidden." She commented more to herself than for Elijah, but with his vampire hearing he heard her.

"They stay in packs. They keep to themselves for the most part…but their existence is very dangerous for us." He sipped his scotch, wondering why he was opening up to this human girl. He glanced at her. There was something in her eyes that told him he could trust her. "You may accompany us Miss. Gilbert. It will be a long journey so I suggest you pack what you need." He tossed back the rest of his drink and paid the bartender and stood. "It was a pleasure speaking with you…I will make sure no harm comes to you, you have my word." Elijah nodded and walked out of the Grill gracefully.

Elena sighed in relief and with a little nervousness. It worked. No the hard part…telling Damon.


	21. Fighting Is Like Foreplay

Chapter 21: Fighting Is Like Foreplay

"You what?" He bellowed, a thick vein popping out on his forehead.

"I'm going with you." Elena replied calmly as Elijah grabbed her suitcase and placed it in the truck. She was about to hand him the backpack on her shoulder but Damon ripped it out of her hand and threw it in the direction of the house.

"No, you're not." He insisted.

Elena's eyes were hard as she lifted her chin up in defiance. "Yes I am. I'm not leaving you…plus I'll be safer with you than I will be here. Elijah already agreed." She pushed past him and hopped in the backseat of Elijah's car.

Damon walked right up to the elder vampire glaring at him with barely contained rage. "You agreed to this?" he demanded rudely.

Elijah blinked unaffected. "Yes, I did. Elena made some valid points. She will be safer where you and I may protect her. Here, she will have to worry about those that seek her out. She may even be useful to our cause." He admitted nonchalantly, and he closed the trunk.

"_Useful_?" he spat distastefully. "No, she stays here…where she's safe with her _friends_. She's not getting caught up in this. You want me, I'll go, but she stays here." He persisted pointing at the ground for emphasis.

Elijah stepped closer standing over Damon. "I've already made a promise to the girl, Mr. Salvatore. She's very good at negotiating, much better than you…you should be honored to have such a brave young lady so eager to stay at you side." He moved around him to the driver's side. "Get in…We've wasted enough time arguing as it is."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

An hour later, Elena looked down at her phone which was ringing again. She sighed and hit silence for the third time.

"Are you ever gonna answer her back?" Damon asked from the front seat. He knew it was Caroline calling because her ring tone was a Taylor Swift song; her favorite. Damon mentally rolled his eyes.

"Not yet." She tucked her phone into her pocket and turned her gaze back to the window.

"I can't believe you're just going to abandon your family and friends like that. They're probably thinking the worst right now." Damon grumbled. He wanted to steal the phone from her and say that she was okay, but that would raise the question of where she was and he didn't quite know how to deal with a pissed off, hysterical Caroline just yet.

Elena scoffed. "Yeah, imagine that…I can't possibly know what that feels like." She stated sarcastically. How could he say that when that was exactly what he was planning on doing to her?

Damon turned around in his seat, narrowing his gaze at her. "I wasn't _abandoning_ you, Elena, I was making the best decision for you." He flopped back into his seat rolling his eyes up. "Then you had to go and make a deal with _him_ and ruin everything." He complained gesturing vaguely at Elijah.

Elena crossed her arms and leaned forward, glaring at the back of his head. "_I_ ruined everything? Leaving without me would ruin everything; you shutting off your emotions would ruin everything, you _dying_ would _ruin everything_." She exclaimed, anger shaking her voice.

Damon sighed in resignation. She won…clearly. "I'm sorry, but I just think you should let them know that you're leaving with me, just in case." He added resting his head back.

She frowned. "Just in case what?"

He shrugged. "Just in case I need someone to bring you back." His stupid male brain was unable to comprehend what was wrong with that sentence before he got hit for it. Elena punched him in the shoulder. "Ow…" he drawled out.

"_Bring me back_? Like cargo?" she ground out narrowing her eyes.

Damon turned around with a little smirk. "_Precious_ cargo." His smirk widened at her sigh if frustration, he loved how her face got flushed when she was angry. "Are you mad?" he asked knowing full well that she was pissed. Elena's eyes pinned on his menacingly for a few moments. "You're mad."

She pasted on a sickly sweet smile and tilted her head to the side. "No Damon, I'm ecstatic. I want to be with you, and help you through this and you're just waiting for the right moment to ship me away. I've never been happier." She concluded sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on Elena, it's not even like that-"

Elijah who had been silent the whole time finally spoke up. "Alright children…" he drawled out. "Let's put an end to the bickering…that's quite enough." He interrupted Damon coolly.

Damon gave Elijah a dirty look for telling him what to do like he was a child. He turned to look at Elena in the back again. "At least tell Jenna and Jeremy something." 

"You don't need to worry about Jenna." Elijah promised, catching Elena's eyes in the rearview mirror. "She believes you have taken a vacation with Damon." Damon's eyes questioned him even though he heard just fine. "That is what you were planning, is it not?" His eyes caught Elena's again. "'_Nothing set in stone yet?_'"

Her eyes widened considerably. "You heard that?"

Elijah chuckled more to himself. "Yes, I was waiting for the appropriate moment to speak with you."

Elena turned her gaze to the window, crossing her arms self consciously. "That's creepy." She mumbled to herself. "Wait…you compelled her?" she demanded, looking at him sharply.

"I thought you would appreciate the sentiment." Elijah ignored Damon's scoff. "I could have killed her and saved you the trouble of explaining." He suggested smugly.

Elena's face softened. "I don't like the idea of someone not having control of their own mind." She knew it was probably for the best, but she hated the fact that Jenna didn't know the truth.

"I don't like the idea of a human tagging along for this trip, but yet here you are." Elijah responded flatly.

"I don't like the idea either." Damon piped up.

Elena's mouth dropped open for a second before she tightened her jaw and crossed her arms. "So what you guys are ganging up on me now? That hardly seems fair." She grumbled.

Damon turned around in his seat again. "It hardly seems fair that you would go behind my back and put yourself in danger like this." He snapped back, pinning her with his piercing blue eyes.

"Oh but you can?" Elena started incredulously. "I don't understand why you feel you need to protect me all the time-"

"I can take care of myself Elena, you could get yourself killed!" They both started yelling over each other, getting louder and louder.

Elijah jerked the wheel to the left and pulled the emergency brake, sending the car spinning in a 360. Elena yelped and clung to the door and the seat in front of her, while Damon put his hands on the door frame and the dashboard, bracing himself. "I am _very_ close to killing you both and putting an end to it all…Shut. Up." He articulated calmly but firmly.

Elena swallowed and let out a sigh of relief. As the car spun all she could think about was the day her parents died. It was like she was there all over again. And then…as if he knew what she was thinking, Damon turned around in his seat again his hand reaching instantly for hers, his eyes full of concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Damon could hear her racing heart beat, and couldn't help but be worried for her.

Elena relaxed letting out another deep sigh. She nodded. "Yeah…I'm okay." She squeezed his hand in hers with a smile.

Damon nodded along with her. "Good...Don't drive like an idiot when we have a fragile, emotionally traumatized human in the car…please." He added astringently, directing his statement at the older vampire.

Elijah let down the e-brake and pressed down on the accelerator, making the car fishtail side to side before straitening out and following the long stretch of road before them. "If you keep the constant bickering to a minimum I don't see us having an issue." He responded nonchalantly, looking out the windshield.

Elena caught Damon's eyes in the right side mirror and both we're fighting a smile of understanding. Damon kept his gaze on her as he spoke to Elijah. "It must have been a long time since you've been a relationship then…the fighting is like foreplay." He flashed his eyes teasingly.

"Damon!" Elena scolded, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jeremy came down the stairs the next morning and into the kitchen. He saw Jenna moving around preparing her coffee and breakfast. "Morning…" he greeted through a yawn as he plopped down on the stool. "'Lena's still sleeping? It's eight-thirty." His sister never slept in.

Jenna frowned. "Noo…she left with Damon for that birthday trip they were planning. Didn't she tell you?"

Jer shook his head. "She said nothing was set in stone yet. Why would she go and not tell me?" he asked himself worriedly. "She told you this?" he clarified.

Jenna blinked with a blank look on her face. "Um, no." she admitted with a little confusion.

Jeremy looked at her with an odd expression. "Well then how do you know?"

She shrugged casually. "I just do."

Something wasn't adding up. "Did you see anyone today…or last night? Did Damon stop by here?" he asked trying to keep his voice even. Jeremy was getting more worried by the second; he could feel his gut turning.

"Um…" Jenna's eyes widened with recollection. "Oh! Elijah came by last night to thank me for dinner…but what does that have to do with anything?"

Jeremy shot up off the stool. "I got to go…have a good day at work." He rambled out quickly before running back upstairs to quickly change.

Jenna frowned as she watched him run out. "It's Saturday."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About a half hour later Bonnie stumbled down the stairs sleepily, intent on putting an end to the loud and constant banging on her front door. "Okay, okay I'm coming!" it didn't stop until she answered. "Jeremy? What are you doing? It is way too early for this."

"It's Elena." He panted. He ran the whole way to Bonnie's. "Something's wrong…I think Elijah took her."

Bonnie straightened up, instantly alert. "What?" She pulled Jeremy inside and dragged him up to her room. "Why? Damon was supposed to leave with him last night." She rushed around the room, not even bothering to change out of her pajama bottoms. She pulled on a sweater over her tank top and threw her hair up in a quick ponytail.

"Maybe he didn't." he suggested with a hint of anger.

Bonnie glanced at him sharply. "No. Damon wouldn't put Elena in danger like that!" she exclaimed grabbing her purse and car keys before handing him her phone. "Call Caroline." She demanded as she walked past him to go back downstairs.

"Why can't you call her?" he called out as he followed, scrolling through her contacts.

Bonnie was out the door and in her car before he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Cause I'm driving!" she answered back, starting her car and buckling her seat belt.

Jeremy hopped in the passenger seat and put the phone to his ear as it rang. "Hey Caroline-"

"_What Bonnie? Wait…you're not Bonnie."_ Caroline grumbled with a sleepy voice.

"It's Jeremy." He rolled his eyes. "Listen-"

"_Oh…why are you calling from Bonnie's phone?" _

"Cause she driving…can you just listen to me-"

"_God it's like…before noon, what could possibly be happening right now?" _she complained.

"Elena's missing!" Jeremy finally yelled before Caroline could cut him off again.

"_What?"_ Her voice was clearer now, and more alert. _"Where are you? I'll be right there."_

"We're on our way to your place right now." He explained. "Is your mom home?" The last thing they needed was the Sheriff to get involved with this. How the hell would they explain that?

"_No, she's working…as always."_ She added more to herself. _"Just hurry up and get here." _

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Caroline paced in front of Bonnie and Jer, who were sitting on her bed, as she rung her hands nervously. "I knew it! I _knew_ something was off last night!" She threw her hands up in the air with exasperation. "I was calling her and she didn't answer like _three_ _times_ and I thought it was because she was just mad and ignoring me or spending some time with Damon or something…and I thought to myself 'Maybe I should go over there', and I didn't and now she's gone and I'm a _total_ idiot." She rambled frantically before she plopped down on the bed between them. "So much for vampire instinct." She pouted.

"Don't overact just yet…we don't know everything right now." Bonnie started, the only one of them thinking levelheadedly. "We should call Damon; if Elijah did compel Jenna and take Elena…we have no chance of finding her without his help." She scrolled through her contacts frowning. "Huh. Anyone have Damon's phone number?"

Caroline and Jeremy both pulled out their phone's scrolling through the list of names. "Nope." She answered as Jer shook his head. "Well, that's helpful." She stated sarcastically.


	22. Need

Chapter 22: Need

Caroline, Bonnie and Jeremy walked up to the door of the Salvatore Boarding house. After arguing about why none of them had Damon's number and calling Elena multiple times they finally decided to check to see if Damon was still in town.

"He's gonna lose it." Caroline stated as she rang the doorbell. She knew that if Damon was here and he found out that Elena was gone he'd be livid, and most likely go on a rampage.

Jeremy huffed, reaching around the blonde vampire to knock hard on the wood door. "If he's still here it'll be his fault Elena's gone." He grumbled. He liked Damon, but this was his sister, and the only person he had to take his anger out on was Damon.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I told you, Damon would never put her in that position. He's not here." She didn't sense any other vampire around but Caroline.

Caroline tried the knob but it was locked. She twisted the knob harder and pulled it right out of the door. She pushed it open with the toe of her shoe and stepped in. "We need to be sure. Damon!" She yells speeding around the living room, kitchen and basement. "DAMON!" she darted up the stairs and checked all the rooms. When she came back down she had a look of concern on her face. "He's not here."

Bonnie nodded. "I know. But there might be a way to contact him though."

"Why don't you try contacting Elena?" the blonde asked plopping down in Damon's favorite chair in the parlor room.

"I tried on the way over here. I'm blocked out." She simplified. In the back seat of Caroline's car she held Elena's hairbrush in her hands and chanted quietly to herself in the hopes that there was some kind of connection. She briefly saw the outline of her face before she was slammed back into reality. It hurt, and her nose bled; she could still feel the pain in her back and head from the virtual impact.

Jeremy shook his head in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Jeremy walked right up to Bonnie glaring down at her with panic and frustration. "Well _get_ sure Bonnie, this is my _sister_!"

Caroline came up behind him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from Bonnie. "Jer, relax, she's doing everything she can." It had been a long time since she'd seen Jeremy lose it like that, and she had to hand it to Bonnie for holding his gaze unwaveringly.

"I'm gonna find Damon's room." Bonnie ground out as she moved around Jeremy and went up the stairs. Both of them stared at her back and waiting until she was out of sight.

Caroline smacked him upside the head. "Ass! Don't be so hard on her. This isn't her fault."

Jer sighed, leaned against the wall. "I'm worried about Elena; she could be in serious trouble."

She nodded. "She could also be totally fine. We don't know enough right now to be pointing fingers. Plus, it's not like this is the first time Elena has disappeared." She chose not to mention that most of the time she was in some kind of trouble.

It wasn't too long after that, that Bonnie entered the parlor room, her face solemn. "He's blocked out too. I can't reach him."

"Any idea why?" Jeremy asked curiously.

Bonnie shot a glare his way. "Maybe I'm out of batteries." She stated sarcastically.

He frowned. "Seriously."

The witch sighed, shrugging her shoulder. "Could be another witch counteracting the spell. I can't be sure." She watched Jeremy stand and pace the floor with his hands in his hair. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe Elena _chose_ to go?" she turned to Caroline. "You heard what she said; she would do what she had to. Maybe leaving with Damon is what she had to do…" she trailed off choking on emotion. It made her sad that her friend would leave her life behind, leave her friends and her family…for a vampire, but she knew Elena made that decision out of love.

"That's crazy!" Jeremy exclaimed throwing his hands in the air. "Elena's not that stupid!"

Caroline smiled sadly. "She's not being stupid, Jer…she's in love." She stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Damon would do anything for Elena…and she would do anything for him. No matter what."

"At least we know she's safe. Nothing's going to happen to her while she's with Damon." Bonnie added softly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elena looked up at the large Victorian style manor as she stepped out of the car. It was white with blue shutters over the windows and well maintained front garden. Her eyes narrowed with curiosity when she saw a figure standing in the only open window in the highest room on the fourth floor of the mansion. He was gone quicker than she could blink.

Elijah noticed her staring and stood beside her. "We should get inside…he's expecting us." He led the way as someone ran out the front door to grab their bags from the car.

Elena and Damon trailed behind. She leaned into him as he grabbed her hand. "Have any idea who 'he' is?" she asked him in a whisper.

"Not a clue." Damon returned quickly, his eyes focused on the same window. They followed Elijah into the house and looked up at the high ceilings in the main foyer. "I'm guessing we'll find out soon." He mumbled reaching out and grasping Elena's hand in his.

The older vampire led them into the main room. It was filled with antique furniture and décor, accented with gold and red. It was a picture out of the 1800's. The only thing that was out of place was the modernly dressed man standing faced towards the window with a glass of what looked to be blood.

"I'm glad you could make it." he greeted before bringing the glass to his lips. He turned he's head slightly to towards them with a smirk. "Both of you." He added.

Elena frowned, glancing up at Damon to judge his reaction. He looked confused and also a little worried. It was then that she realized that Damon recognized him too. "Klaus." She whispered, more to herself than anything.

"That would be correct." He responded having heard her little revelation. He sauntered over to them finishing the rest of his drink casually. "Elena…Damon. It's nice to see you again." He chuckled. "Under better circumstances this time."

Damon twisted his lips in a sly smirk. "Yeah, nobody's killing their brother." He joked.

Klaus laughed boisterously. "Who knows…I still have one left." He looked behind Damon at Elijah who was also laughing. "Come now…let me show you around. There's a lot to see." He clasped a hand on Damon's shoulder as he walked past them heading up the long spiraled staircase. "You can meet the other Brothers tomorrow, tonight we celebrate."

"And what are we celebrating exactly?" Elena questioned looking back at Elijah who was following them up to the second floor.

"Well, your arrival for starters. Of course there are things we need to discuss…" he stopped at the top, directing his statement towards Damon before fixing his eyes slowly on Elena's. "No children allowed." He smirked.

Elena rolls her eyes. "Like some secret club?" she scoffed. "And _I'm_ the child." She mumbles sarcastically.

Damon puts his hand comfortingly on the small of her back. "You can talk freely in front of Elena. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of her."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, my friend. Elijah, show our Dear Elena here to her room, and then join us upstairs." Klaus continued around the spiral staircase onto the third floor of the manor.

Elijah nodded, holding out his elbow for Elena to take, like a true gentleman would. She eyed him warily before glancing at Damon. At his nod, she cautiously took his proffered arm and followed him to her room. "Damon will be fine…Klaus only wants to fill him in on what's expected of him."

Elena turned to him when they stopped in front of a solid oak door. "And what _is _expected of him?"

The vampire linked his arms behind his back elegantly. "Loyalty and unity with his brothers, discipline, courage and he must be a strong soldier for battle."

"Damon is all of those things." Her eyes dropped to the floor. "I just don't want him to get hurt."

"With the proper training and skill, Damon will be just fine." Elijah said reassuringly.

Elena met his eyes with a glare. "You're sending him into battle against _werewolves_. I don't see how he'll be _just fine_." She ground out sighing deeply. Elena threw open her bedroom door and stormed in leaving Elijah to lean against the door jab.

"Damon is in good hands, Ms. Gilbert. You mustn't worry." He pushed himself off the jab, and nodded once before heading upstairs.

Elena sighed and threw herself on the bed glaring at the ceiling wishing she could hear what they were talking about.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Drink?" Klaus offered Damon a glass.

"I'm good." He replied. It was probably the only time he had ever turned down a drink, but Damon wanted to be focused and he had no idea what was in that glass. Damon couldn't trust him yet. "What am I doing here?"

Klaus smirked. "You're needed for battle against the werewolves." he answered simply.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I know that…why _me_?"

Klaus sat in a large leather chair gesturing for Damon to sit on the couch across from him. "You have power…it's ancient, like myself, and with the proper training you will be magnificent. You're part of the Brethren."

Damon blinked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? The Brethren? The Brethren of what?"

Klaus' lips twisted into a grin. "Of the Original Vampires. Myself, and my brother." He nodded to Elijah, who just stepped into the room. "You are the descendant of our lineage; therefore our power has been bestowed unto you. When you turned into a vampire in 1864 the power inside of you was activated."

Damon tried not to show how shocked he was. "How did you know I would turn?"

Elijah chuckled. "We were the ones that made it so." He stepped further into the room standing beside his brother. "We sent Katerina Petrova to you with the mission of turning you and your brother Stefan. Of course we never counted on her falling in love with the both of you…but we all know Katerina cannot resist causing sibling rivalry."

Klaus knocked back the rest of his drink. "We also weren't counting on your little girlfriend getting sent back in time and rewriting history…although she seemed to have the same idea."

"So you've been planning this for over a century?"

"Far longer than that, my friend. Every man living in this house is part of our lineage. Those that came before you, and after…together we form an army that is dominant to prevail against anything that those pesky little pups can throw at us." He snickered.

The younger vampire cast a glance at the door, making sure he didn't hear Elena's heartbeat close by. "Except if they bite us. Isn't a werewolf bite lethal to vampires?" The blank look on his face told Damon that he was right. He had done his research to minute Elijah told him the mission, but he didn't want to believe some stupid Aztec legend described with stick figures. "Elena doesn't know about this." He demanded strongly. "If she knew the danger she would do anything she could to stop it, and the last thing I need is to have her putting herself at risk."

"She is stubborn, isn't she? Elijah tells me it was her idea to accompany you. You should know, that the only reason I allowed it was because I value her loyalty and because you would never be fully committed to the mission if she was still in Mystic Falls." Klaus admitted twirling the liquid in his glass. "But…" he drawled. "I don't make exceptions for just anybody." The sly grin that crept on his lips told Damon that he unknowingly made a deal with the devil.

The youngest vampire narrowed his eyes and sighed. "What do you want?" Klaus chuckled. "Look, I'm already agreeing to be a part of your vampire army thing, what more do you want?"

"What I want is so much different from what I _need_." He glanced down at the floor with the supercilious smirk still in place.

"And what is it that you need?" Damon asked apprehensively.

Klaus pinned his icy blue eyes on Damon's. "Elena's blood."

A/N: Wow! Sorry guys, I know that took far too long for me to update…but here it is! I hope you liked this little twist of events and what is Damon's response going to be. If you wanna find out, let me know I still have some readers and leave me a review!

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	23. Love Is Dead

Chapter 23: Love Is Dead

"_What I want is so much different from what I need." He glanced down at the floor with the supercilious smirk still in place. _

"_And what is it that you need?" Damon asked apprehensively._

_Klaus pinned his icy blue eyes on Damon's. "Elena's blood."_

Damon bolted for the door but was blocked by Elijah. "_Move_." He growled in his face. "Let me go to her!" He tried to push past, but Elijah was stronger.

"I assure you Elena is fine." He stated. "Killing her is not our intention." He glanced over Damon's shoulder to give his brother a hard stare.

Klaus stood gracefully and sauntered over to them. "Unless you refuse, of course."

Damon spun around and got in the blonde's face. "You are NOT touching Elena!"

"Damon…" Klaus drawled patronizingly. "You wouldn't be able to stop me."

They stared down at each other for a long few seconds before Elena came running up the stairs. "What's going on?" she asked worriedly, looking up at Damon. "Damon…I heard yelling. What's wrong?"

Damon didn't look at her as he spoke. "Get your stuff we're leaving."

"What? What about-"

"Just do it!"

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't question him. "Okay." She started heading to her room when she heard Klaus speak. She stopped at the top of the stairs to listen in.

"Now you know that's not smart Damon…even if you run, we'll find you."

"You want me fine, you want use me for your vampire army…but you _cannot _have Elena." Damon growled firmly.

"Oh she'll be perfectly fine, no harm will come to her…so long as everyone cooperates." Klaus drawled out with a definitive glare in Damon's direction. "Do we have a deal?"

Elena ran down the rest of the stairs and stopped in the doorway. "Yes."

Damon turned around, shocked at her quick response. "Are you insane?" he bit through a clenched jaw. He stared at her, but Elena kept her eyes firmly on Klaus, because if she were to look at him she couldn't bear to see the worry in his cerulean orbs.

She stepped closer to Klaus with her chin held high and crossed her arms when she stood in front of him. "What do you need my blood for?" The elder vampire said nothing; he only smirked at her evilly. "We both have things we want, and in order to get it everyone has to cooperate, right?" Elena clarified, throwing his words back in his face. "You want my blood, and I want the ones I love to be safe so…" she let it hang in the air, waiting to see if Klaus would agree with the terms she subtly laid out.

Klaus was quiet for a few moments, his eyes shifting between Damon and Elena. "You blood is powerful, Elena. It's the key to breaking my curse."

"The curse of douchery?" Damon mumbled.

Elena glanced back at him and gave him an unimpressed look.

Klaus continued after a short bitter laugh. "Elijah and I are half-brothers. I had the werewolf gene before our mother turned us into vampires. And with my first kill I would trigger the werewolf curse. So my mother, rest her dead heart, suppressed that side of me, for which I promptly killed her for." He finished with a grin.

Elena frowned. "Where does my blood come into this?"

Klaus stood up, moving to the fireplace. "My mother used the blood of a girl named Tatya Petrova, as a sacrifice. She looked a lot like you actually." He joked pointing a finger at her.

Elena nodded as things started to piece together. "We have the same blood. So, if you use my blood to break the curse, does that make you a werewolf or a vampire?"

"Both."

Damon pulled Elena off to the side, even though no matter where they were in this house Klaus would hear them. He placed his hands on her shoulders and spoke lowly in her ear. "This is _not_ a good idea, Elena. Klaus is dangerous now; helping him turn into a were-vamp will make him indestructible." Damon stressed.

"Kind of the point, mate." Klaus piped up from his spot on the other side of the room. "And I personally prefer the term Hybrid."

Damon turned back to Elena. "Don't do this." He begged.

Elena sighed, torn. "If I don't, then what Damon? He kills you; he kills me and my family. He's got all the cards right now," Elena glanced at the elder vampire out of the corner of her eye. "I don't want to be like Katherine…I don't want to run for the rest of my life."

"Having Klaus at full strength will assure defeat over werewolves." Elijah stated looking at Damon and Elena. "I can promise you that no serious harm will come to you in this ritual." Elena caught his eyes and saw the sincerity in them. She also saw something that looked like sympathy, but she wasn't sure. "Klaus will take enough to release the curse, we heal you, and you will be no worse for it. You have my word." He nodded once.

Elena's eyes shifted to Klaus. "I'll do it…but you have to promise me everyone I love will be safe."

Klaus shrugged. "I have no intention or reason to attack your family, Elena. They only have one thing I want, and you're standing right here." He chuckled to himself.

Damon's eyes were still pleading with her to change her mind. "Damon, I'll be fine." She turned to Klaus and crossed her arms. "When do we do this?"

The eldest vampire smiled, pleased. "The next full moon; we need a witch to draw power from it in order to complete the ritual." He explained.

Damon shifted his eyes to both vampires. "You'll only take enough to break the curse, that's it. Elena doesn't die." He demanded firmly. He was definitely not okay with this, but his girlfriend had a driving need for danger he was afraid she would do it behind his back anyway.

Elijah nodded, linking his hands in front of him. "I promise Damon." He glanced at his brother to affirm him.

"Yes…I will only take enough to break the curse. No more." He nodded as well, holding out his hand. Damon tentatively grabbed it, and then clenched it in a cracking grip.

"If your lying, I will stake you, tear you limb from limb and scatter your body parts throughout the Atlantic Ocean, so I suggest you keep your word." Damon hissed inches from Klaus' face.

Klaus' lips twitched. "Ain't love grand?" He linked his hands behind his back as he walked around Damon and stood in front of Elena. "The things we do to protect the ones we love, hm?"

Elena swallowed, but refused to show how scared she was in front of him. "Who are you protecting?"

A serious look clouded his face and his little smirk dropped. "No one." He stated numbly. "Get comfortable." He snapped, his tone changing again to one of indifference. "There's still three weeks until the full moon." He called over his shoulder as he sauntered out of the room in a confident swagger.

…

Jeremy moved around the boarding house packing a back full of stakes, a mini cross bow and vervain bombs. He paused to steal a glass of Damon's bourbon, slamming it back for some liquid courage. When he turned back to the table that rested the bag of weapons he was startled by Caroline sitting on the table beside it, twirling a stake in her hand.

"You just never give up, do you?" she asked casually.

When he got a moment to collect himself he sighed. "If your sister was in trouble, would you?" he responded in a way of an answer.

She nodded. "Of course not." She hopped down and towards him. "But I'm also a vampire and much stronger than you are. I also don't think Elena is in any serious trouble, well no more than usual. I want to find her too Jer, but we don't even know where to start looking."

Jeremy frowned as he pondered something. "Bonnie said that she couldn't track Damon and Elena because they were blocked."

"Yeah?"

"Well, what if we could track them the human way? It's not like we don't have the connections." He gestured to her.

Caroline's eyes widened with hope. "My mom, okay but what would be tracking? We have no idea where Elijah took them, if he _did_ in fact take them." She huffed.

"Elijah told us this story about the eldest brother of a vampire lineage. One from every generation created an army…you'd need a pretty big place to house an army." He concluded.

She cocked her hip to the side and crossed her arms. "So we're looking for a mansion of vampire soldiers, with no idea of where in the world they could be?" she asked sarcastically.

"We're looking for at least a five acre abandoned property, in a secluded area but close to blood supply." Jer summed up quickly with a knowing look. "We'll start looking close then branch out."

Caroline smiled. "Genius. I'll get my mom on it." She started to head for the door.

"How the hell are you planning on explaining that one?" he laughed.

Caroline waved her hand. "I'll just say it's something for school. See ya!"

…

Damon lay in bed on his back with his arms under his head staring at the ceiling while Elena sat cross legged beside him observing his silent rage.

She sighed. "Damon…" Elena started warily.

"Don't." he responded lowly.

"Don't what?"

Damon's jaw clenched, creating tension in the muscle. "Try and talk me down so I'll stop being mad at you." He turned his head to look at her with intensity in his eyes. "You're acting irrational."

Elena's eyebrows shot up. "_I'm_ acting irrational? I'm not the one that went around killing people." She spit back defensively.

He sat up with his vampire speed and narrowed his eyes at her. "I may have _killed_ people," Damon seethed slowly with a twinge of hurt. "But I never offered Vampire General my blood on tap." His anger melted slightly looking at her affectionately. "You didn't ask for this. You couldn't have known this would happen…I should have never let you come with me." He reached up to touch her face; she held his hand there then glanced down. "What is it?"

She took a shuddering breath before catching his gaze. "I knew it was a possibility." Elena whispered. The confused emotions over Damon's face were enough to create tears in her eyes. "When I made the deal with Elijah to come with you, he mentioned that the blood of the doppelganger was valuable to Original vampires."

"You _knew _about it?" Damon bellowed flashing off the bed to the other side of the room.

"No! I had no idea about the curse, but I knew that if I went with you it would come at a price. I don't regret it, Damon. You would have done the same." She explained as calmly as she could.

Damon spun around to glare at her. "I'm a vampire, _Elena_!" he pronounced her name in a way only he could. "Not a fragile human being that can be snapped like a twig!"

She got off the bed and crossed her arms glaring back at the blue eyed man in front of her. "Now I'm a fragile little human? I can take care of myself."

"No you can't! I am _forever _saving your life and protecting you from the life and death situations you purposely _throw_ yourself into!" he gestured wildly with his hands.

Elena was close to tears. Instead of yelling back at him like he was probably expecting her to, she just shook her head and spoke softly. "I do it to save you." She whispered constrictively. "Because I don't know what I would do without you." She saw him sigh, and his face melt into one of regret and concern. When he took a step towards her, Elena held her hand up. "No…I need-I just need a minute." She turned away and left the room, rushing down the long staircase towards the back door.

There was a huge open field, where she assumed training was done considering all the equipment, but behind it was a slight hill with a willow tree slouching on it like a nurturing mother. That was her destination but she was stopped before she even got out the door.

"Trouble in paradise?" the British voice asked out of nowhere.

Elena gasped and came to a screeching halt, putting her hand to her chest. "Don't do that…I'm a fragile little human, I could've had a heart attack." She mumbled bitterly, still upset from her fight with Damon.

Klaus chuckled glancing down at the floor before catching her eyes again with a boyish smile. "I don't think he gives you enough credit, you're stronger than you let on to be."

Elena frowned. "Just because you can overhear everything that goes on here, doesn't mean you can give your two cents about things that have nothing to do with you." She snapped back feistily.

Klaus' eyes widened in surprise and amusement. "Hm." Was his only response.

She shifted her wait uneasily. "What?"

"You're not afraid of me." He stated simply.

She sighed and crossed her arms. "If you wanted me dead I would be, but I know what you're capable of."

"Damon's right you know…any vampire could easily snap you like a twig, so pick your battles wisely." He smirked.

Elena stood toe to toe with the thousand year old vampire and looked him in the eyes. "As long as Damon's safe…there's no need for me to pick any battles."

He frowned curiously. "You still protect him, even when you're mad at him?"

She was surprised that he took notice, and that he seemed genuinely astounded that even after the fight they had she would still look out for him. "Of course." She said gently. "That's what love is all about. It doesn't matter how mad you are, or how shitty things seem…as long as you're together, and Damon and I have fought for too long to give it all up now." She stated with quietly realization.

The look in Klaus' eyes was one of interest, and maybe even sadness. His blue eyes were wide and in this moment he looked human; not like the indestructible dark creature he held himself to be.

Elena continued. "And it's never too late to fight." She whispered, wondering if maybe Klaus had given up on his own fight.

His eyes darted back to hers, and there were as cold as ice. "It is when your love is dead."

He sped out the back door, and Elena saw his tiny figure move way out in the distance. She thought she heard a faint sound of a bellowing scream.


	24. What Is It About Doppelgangers?

Chapter 24: What Is It About Doppelgangers?

Damon found himself wandering around the insanely large mansion. There were at least ten rooms on each floor and three floors above the main level. He figured it was a restored plantation given they were in the Deep South. When Elijah drove past the sign so fast the words were only a blur, but he thought they may be in Mississippi.

He stopped at a door on the third level that had music playing and the sound of laughter and a woman's giggles. He pushed the door open silently and saw two vampires drinking, playing cards and feeding off a woman.

He observed them quietly.

"Fuck…you won again!" a lean blonde haired vampire complained tossing his cards on the table. He nudged the woman on his lap to stand and pushed her towards the winner, who was considerably more toned, and had eyes as black as night with dark brown skin. "I was looking forward to this one." He grumbled.

The dark skinned vampire chuckled deeply. "So was I." he locked his eyes on the girl who already had bite marks on her neck. "Come here, sweetheart." He compelled in a southern accent. He yanked her arm hard, and pulled her down to him, biting viciously into her neck.

Damon sped over and palmed him in the chest, sending him flying back into the wall and took the girl by the shoulders. "Forget this happened and get the hell out of here." He compelled. When she took off the blonde threw himself at Damon with his fangs out. He must have been young, because it took a lot less effort to hold him back.

"What the fuck it your problem, dude?" he bellowed. _Surfer_. Damon thought to himself. "She was prime!"

"Justin!" The dark skinned vampire warned as he got to his feet. "Relax."

Justin turned to his friend. "What do you mean relax, Maxim! This _douche_ just cost us dinner." Justin turned his gaze back to Damon angrily.

Damon only looked at his with a sort of condescendence. He had one hand pinning both of Justin's behind his back, and the other hand secured around his throat.

Maxim walked over slowly looking at Damon with respect. "This _douche_ is Damon Salvatore." He smiled a toothy grin. "Man...You're a legend." He indicated with a lazy point in his direction.

Damon raised a brow. "Really?" This was a pleasant surprise. People knew who he was. He let Justin go, pushing him back for good measure.

Maxim nodded. "Yeah, all the massacres you left behind in the 1900's. Y'all made a name for yourselves 'round these parts." He drawled with a lazy smirk.

Damon frowned. "I did that with Katherine…how did you know that?" he demanded.

Maxim chuckled. "It's a lineage thing. Not gon' lie though, ya sold out; getting' whipped by a human and all."

Damon sped up until he was less than an inch away from his face. "Don't talk about Elena, or you won't live long enough to have your next meal."

Maxim raised his hands in surrender. "Aiight. I get it, I get it…damn; you're like Klaus when it comes to those doppelgangers. Y'all stop at nothin' to protect 'em." He said casually sitting back down at the table.

"He just needs her blood to break his curse."

"Justin….get outta here." When he didn't move right away he continued. "Now." When the younger vampire left he slouched in his seat, his legs splayed out in front of him as he fiddled with the cards on the table. "Not with Tatya…she was different."

"Tatya Petrova? His mother used her blood to create the curse." Damon countered knowingly. This guy was entirely too cocky for his liking.

"Why do ya think Klaus killed her? The bitch drained Tatya of her blood and force fed him to complete the ritual." He explained staring at the cards fondly.

Damon had a deep frown on his face. "Why?"

Maxim glanced up at his with his dark eyes. "Spell called for the blood of his beloved. Pretty fucked up, huh?" he stood, moving around the room leisurely.

Damon stared at the vampire with curiosity and apprehension. "How do you know all this?"

Maxim chuckled. "You become well informed when you prove your loyalty." He gave Damon an arrogant smirk. "I may as well be family. I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Maxim Strickland." He held out his hand patiently waiting for Damon to take it.

"How long have you been here for?" Damon asked as he shook the man's hand.

"Longer than most. Klaus found me in 1902…I was still human, but I wasn't for long. I've been travellin' with them ever since. Klaus has big plans for me." A cocky smirk crawled up his face.

Damon scoffed. "Klaus isn't thinking about anyone but himself right now…don't get your hopes up, and stop feeding off of the townspeople, blood bags are less conspicuous." He scolded.

Maxim sneered. "You gettin' soft, Damon? Damn, here I thought you were a ripper."

"That title was reserved for my brother." Damon protested. "And I'm not getting soft; I just know how to cover my ass. It wouldn't do any good having the whole town on vervain." Damon frowned realizing that he'd already spent to long away from Elena. She said she needed time, but he didn't trust anyone in this house. Damon headed for the door.

"I'd keep a close eye on her if I were you." Damon turned slowly to face the dark skinned vampire with a secret leer. He was back in his seat, casually stretched out. "Klaus has plans for Elena, and it's not just about her blood."

Damon pinned Maxim with one last hard stare before finally leaving the room. He gave off a calm appearance, but inside he was panicking. What more could he want with her? Could he even trust the southern vamp and his stories? Damon couldn't be sure, but he rushed to their room to check on her.

The room was completely bare. He sped around the house like a mad man, looking for Elena everywhere, intruding on several people in the process. He heard her laughter coming from downstairs and was there in a second.

He couldn't believe his eyes. Elena was walking in through the back door with Klaus, both laughing at an unheard joke. "What's this?"

Elena's eyes lit up. "Damon! There you are…it was so funny; Klaus was just telling me about the first time he ever met King Henry VIII! The _King_, Damon, isn't that insane!" She glanced up at Klaus with an awe inspiring smile. "Was he as charming as they said he was?"

Klaus shrugged. "He was…but Anne, the first one, ruined him for any other woman. He was a bit of an ass after that." He smiled genuinely at her interested.

Damon couldn't watch this. "Elena…can I talk to you?" his jaw was tensed tightly and his question sounded like a command. He nodded to the other room, glaring at Klaus as he did.

Elena knew better than to argue seeing the look on his face. "Sure." She looked to the older vampire. "Excuse me."

Once they were alone Damon rounded on her, nearly shaking with rage. "What the hell was that, Elena?" he yelled.

All she could do was blink. "Nothing, Damon we were just talking."

He closed the distance and glared down at her. "No."

_What?_ "'No?' What do you mean 'no'?" Elena demanded crossing her arms.

"No, you can't just _talk_ with _Klaus_, okay! He's the reason our lives or on the line! He's dangerous!"

"I am constantly in danger Damon…every single day I'm in danger! Look, he was upset by something I said and when I apologized we just started talking, okay…nothing happened." Elena tried to calm him down, but her words only seemed to anger him further.

"Yeah nothing happened _yet_! Do you know what that looked like to me, Elena?" He didn't give her any time to interject. "It looked like the two of you were coming back from a _date_! You have no idea how mad I am right now!" Veins popped out on his neck and forehead, and Damon's eyes were wide and intense with fury.

She sighed turning her eyes away with petulance. "I think I have an idea."

He shook his head. "No, you don't. You know what I found out today, Elena…Klaus has plans for you; bigger than using your blood for this fucking ritual. He's using his _charm_ to reel you in and your falling for it!" he tunneled his hands through his hair and turned his back on her pacing the floor.

Elena scoffed. "You know, he's not as bad as you think he is."

Damon spun around incredulous. "You're fucking _kidding _me!"

"He's just like us, Damon…he's loved and he's lost. He loved Tatya…he's just in pain. He misses her." She tried to explain.

Damon's eyes narrowed on her. "And how convenient that you're a spitting image of her." His voice was now quiet but still impactful.

"That's not how it is Damon."

"Isn't it?"

"No! I think he just needs a friend."

Damon opened his arms in a grand gesture. "He's got friends, Elena! Hundreds of them."

"These vampires aren't his friends. They're his soldiers; they're loyal because they have to be." She hollered back at him trying to make her point. "Do you think anyone in this house cares about him? Do you think they want to be here? Do you think they wish happiness for him, Damon…they don't care!" Elena closed the distance between them and placed her hands on either side of his face. "Do you remember what it was like when you made a friend?"

Damon sighed in resignation. "Yes…it was you." He whispered closing his eyes for a second.

"I cared about you when no one else did…and it changed you Damon." Elena smiled seeing that her point was finally made.

Damon huffed. "I also fell in love with you Elena…"

She nodded. "I know…but just because we fell in love doesn't mean it's going to happen with Klaus. I promise you it won't, Damon, okay?" she implored hoping to ease his mind.

He nodded. "Okay." Damon put his hand over one of hers on his face. "I love you, Elena."

"I love you too." There was a brief moment of silence before she continued. "Damon, I think there's more to Klaus than what we know…" she trailed off when Damon sighed and pulled away from her hands moving to the window in the room.

"Elena," he drawled in exasperation. "I don't care if there's more…my only concern is keeping you safe, and you'll be safer away from Klaus." He turned back to her, his arms crossed and his jaw tensed. "So don't be his buddy."

Elena mimicked his stance and raised an eyebrow in challenge. "It could be useful to know these things Damon." She bit out, her patience with her vampire boyfriend wearing thin.

"_You_ are more useful _alive_." Damon stalked towards her, his eyes saying 'challenge accepted.'

Elena shook her head in disappointment. "You can be so selfish sometimes…Klaus saved our lives once Damon, remember? Julian would have killed us both if it wasn't for him. Don't you think we owe him something?"

"No Elena, I don't! This conversation is over." He replied brusquely, walking out of the room and leaving Elena alone with her jaw dropped.

…

Two Days Later:

Caroline sped from her house to Bonnie's as fast as she could. The blonde didn't even bother to knock, she just barged right in. "Bonnie! I have good news!" she called out in a sing song voice.

Bonnie came out from the kitchen looking worn out and tired. "Really?" she had been spending the last few days exhausting her energy trying to locate Elena and Damon with no results.

"Yes!" she was practically bouncing with excitement. "I know where they are!" her blue eyes shone with glee.

Bonnie let a relieved smile grace her face. "Thank God. Where?"

"It's just outside of Hattiesburg, Mississippi off Old Highway 42; huge plantation!" Caroline explained throwing her arms outs. "I've got the address."

"This is great! Wait…how did you find them?" the witch asked with curiosity.

"Oh, I told my mom everything…about being a vampire, how Elijah took Elena and Damon and the vampire lineage thing." She said flippantly as Bonnie gave her a wide eyed stare. "She freaked a little but she helped me track them down the old fashion, human way and then I compelled her to forget everything. Don't worry; we're in the clear." She reassured with a shrug.

Bonnie let out a shaky breath. "Okay…let's tell Jeremy; we've got a long trip ahead of us."


	25. There's That Word Again

A/N: Hey everyone thank you for all your comments. I just want to say, this chapter kind of wrote itself and very interested to know what you think of it and what you think might happen next! That being said:

WARNING: This chapter contains scenes of violence. Readers discretion is advised.

Chapter 25: There's That Word Again

"_These vampires aren't his friends. They're his soldiers; they're loyal because they have to be. Do you think anyone in this house cares about him? Do you think they want to be here? Do you think they wish happiness for him, Damon…they don't care! Do you remember what it was like when you made a friend?" _

Elena Gilbert

It took just over thirteen hours to get from Mystic Falls to Mississippi, ten with Caroline's driving.

Bonnie gripped the side of her seat and braced herself on the door as Caroline swerved around another car on the I-59. "Seriously Caroline! I'd like to get there alive."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Relax Bonnie; fast reflexes remember? Plus, if we got into an accident I'd just feed you my blood and you'd be good as new. I just want to get there." She floored it again zooming past several other cars and getting a few honks along the way.

"Can you pull over, I gotta take a leak." Jeremy grumbled from the backseat.

"Ugh." Caroline rolled her eyes again, glancing in the rearview mirror. "Can't you hold it, we're almost there."

Jeremy leaned forward resting his arms on the head rests. "We're going to a house full of vampires…you think they're gonna let me use their bathroom before we rescue the hostages they kidnapped?" he retorted sarcastically.

"Fine." She crossed three lanes of traffic and pulled off to the side of the road. "Be quick."

…

The sun had just fallen below the horizon when Klaus stood in the entrance of the backdoor, watching the younger vampires train and share laughs out of the way of the last sunrays. He considered them with confused curiosity. "Do you remember what it felt like to have friends, Elijah?" he asked feeling his brother's presence behind him.

"I can't say that I do." Elijah stood beside him regarding the others. "I think the last true friend I had was you." He teased with a half smirk.

Klaus' lips turned up in an acerbic smile. "You're family…I meant real friends. The people you share your hobbies and interests with, that stand up for you because they want to, not because they have to…the ones that care about you." He clarified without moving his gaze.

"It would have to be before we turned then…Osric." He smiled wistfully thinking of his closest friend from centuries past.

Klaus' eyes remained blank. "Tatya…" he trailed off; her name but a whisper in the wind. "Do you forgive our mother?"

Elijah dropped his eyes to the ground and took a breath. "I forgive her for what she made us into…she was protecting her family." He settled his gaze on the back of his younger brother's head with a pang of sadness. "I will never forgive her for ripping away your happiness." The two brothers stood in silence before Elijah continued. "Need I ask where this is all coming from?" he had heard the argument two days ago between Elena and Damon as well.

Finally Klaus turned his blue eyes to his brother. "She's right…they only do as I say out of fear…or because I compel them to." He nodded at his 'loyal soldiers'. "They would all leave if I let them."

Elijah regarded Klaus like a therapist would their patient; his head cocked to the side. "Does this disappoint you?"

Klaus stepped further onto the porch, taking the few steps to the iron railing and leaning on it so he had his back to the yard and he was now facing the house. His eyes darted to the window on the second floor slightly to his left. "They're so similar, I can barely tell them apart." He completely ignored his brother's question and whispered the words more to himself in quiet contemplation.

Elijah recognized it immediately. "No." his voice was firm. "Do not delude yourself into thinking she is Tatya, Nicklaus. You will only end up disappointing yourself; besides, she loves the Salvatore boy." He tried to shine some reality on his lost little brother.

Klaus' blue eyes turned dark and cold as they settled back on Elijah. His jaw muscles tensed as he clenched his teeth. "She doesn't have to."

…

Caroline came to a stop a mile down the road. "It's right up there." It was dark now; the air was warm and the sound of crickets and frogs filled the silence.

Bonnie blinked. "Holy shit. You weren't kidding when you said it was huge."

"I know…come on." She undid her seatbelt and turned off the ignition.

Jeremy frowned. "Whoa, wait…we're getting out _here_? The rest of us don't have super speed, Care." He grumbled in what sounded like jealousy.

She rolled her eyes. She seemed to be doing that a lot since spending time with Jeremy. "Well it would look rather suspicious driving right up to the door, don't you think? They'd hear us…we can be quieter on foot. Plus you could use the exercise; you need to lay off the stoner food." She raised her brows casting a glance at his slight belly. "Let's go."

The three of them silently, as silent as two humans could be, made their way down the long dirt road, which was more like a trail only large enough for the width of a car amongst the tall blades of unkempt grass. Caroline led them, keeping her senses on high alert for any potential danger.

She stopped before they got to hearing range. She whipped out her cell phone and typed out a message, showing it to both of them.

_I'm going to get closer. Wait here, and hide. I'll come back in twenty._

Bonnie shook her head in disapproval of this plan; her eyes wide with fear for her friend. Caroline nodded towards the grass, and made a gesture to stay low. She sped off in the direction of the house, trying to get close enough to hear anything. Keeping low she darted around the house staying hidden when she wasn't running. She found herself around the back and made a leap to the second story roof. Caroline could hear a bunch of different sounds and voices, but not Damon's or Elena's. She made a leap to the third story roof and darted around the corner when she saw movement in one of the windows. She pressed her back to the side of the mansion, staying as still as possible.

"Can I help you?" a cocky teasing voice drawled from her left.

Caroline's head whipped so hard to the unexpected voice from the balcony that she almost fell. "Oh my God." She knew this man…she vaguely remembered running into him when-

He smirked and pointed a shaking finger at her as he leaned against the wall facing her, his ankles crossed. He then brought said finger to his lips. "I know you…the peppy blonde in Louisiana. My baby brother's half assed attempt at gaining _ultimate power._" He recalled with sarcastic drama paired with a roll of the eyes. He chuckled. "Caroline, was it?" he continued as if he didn't just catch a trespasser scaling the roof of his house.

Caroline swallowed nervously. "Klaus." Her voice was suddenly very dry and raspy.

He smiled. "Good, you remember." And the smile dropped. "What the bloody hell are you doing on my roof, Caroline?" he didn't sound angry or irritated in any way; his accented voice held no inflection, no emotion, and was completely calm.

She forced a nervous laugh. "Admiring the scenery?" she couldn't even stop herself from letting her stupid joke from slipping out.

Klaus sneered, seeing right through her bullshit. "Funny, and here I thought you were trying to rescue your friends from my evil clutches." He pushed off the wall and stared her right in the eyes. "Come here."

For some reason unbeknownst to Caroline she had the urge to do as he asked…or commanded. Once she climbed over the iron railing of the balcony, her wide eyes seemed locked on his equally blue ones. "Why did I just do that?"

"Do what?" he goaded.

She released a shaky breath. "Come to you…all my instincts were telling me to run." She held her breath as Klaus took a step closer.

He tucked a lock of errant blonde hair away from her face in a condescendingly tender gesture. "What are they telling you now?" He studied her face; his pupils dilating as hers followed suit.

"To be afraid." But her voice didn't shake this time and she seemed more confident in her words. "But I'm not…you compelled me!" she accused in disbelief before slapping him across the face…harder than she thought she could and judging by his surprise look he wasn't expecting it. "Ass." She crossed her arms and cocked her hip oozing her Caroline attitude.

He shifted his jaw and blinked. "Well I wasn't expecting that." The older vampire mumbled more to himself before regarding her with something akin to…respect? Or was it intrigue? He wasn't sure yet…but this peppy little blonde had more fire than he first predicted. All he knew was that she just sparked the animal in him; the lion woke from his den…and he was ready to play.

…

Bonnie sighed for the tenth time and glanced at the clock on her phone. "Where is she? It's been almost half an hour." She was freaking out but doing her best to stay calm for Jeremy's sake.

"Maybe we should go after her." He made a move to get out of the grass but Bonnie pulled him back down.

"Just give her a bit longer…maybe she's getting more information." She hoped she was right. Bonnie sensed his anxiety and caved. "If she's not back in five minutes we'll go after her, okay?" he nodded and settled back in the grass as they both kept an eye out for any movement in the distance.

…

Caroline sobbed against the gag in her mouth. "Please…please let me go." She begged around the cloth that was damp with vervain.

Klaus chuckled, unseen in the dark and cold room. She suspected she was in the basement or cellar. She didn't remember coming here. _How did I get here? Why did I slap him? Smart move Caroline; slap the oldest, baddest vampire in the history of __**time**__...across the face!_ _You won't end up gagged and bound to a chair with vervain! _The vervain was eating through her flesh like acid.

"Now why would I do that? We're just getting started." His voice was getting closer, but she couldn't see through her tears. "Maybe this will teach how to play nice with your elders." He backhanded her hard, rocking the chair back on its hind legs momentarily.

She sobbed painfully, letting her hair fall in a curtain of blonde around her face; the locks closest to her cheeks were stained red with blood. "Please…I'm sorry!" her voice squeaked in her desperation. She struggled uselessly against the vervain soaked rope that pinned her wrists and ankles to the chair.

He sighed and dropped her level, squatting in front of her. Klaus took her chin in his hand and although she struggled he held her firmly. "I just don't believe you, love. Perhaps I'm not making myself clear enough." He sped around behind her and yanked her head back by her hair, whispering softly in her ear. "Where are the people you came with? Because I know you wouldn't be stupid enough to come alone…although you _were_ stupid enough to completely disrespect me the way you did." He yanked again causing her to yelp and he pulled the gag roughly out of her mouth so she could speak.

"I _won't_ tell you!" she insisted bravely despite her weak state.

"Ah Caroline: ever the hero. I would compel it out of you but your mouth seems to be full of vervain, so the hard and painful way will just have to do." He chuckled at his mastery.

She whimpered as he finally let go of her. "Why are you doing this? Are you mad because I slapped you, or because I'm trying to save my friends…or are you just jealous that you don't have any?" she retorted glaring at him from under her wet lashes as he walked back around.

Klaus' face darkened immediately. "There's that word again." He was shocked at how her words affected him. He chalked it up to the past conversations of the week.

"That's what friends do…" she mumbled weakly. "They protect each other." There was a long moment of silence as Klaus just stared at her with emptiness.

"I don't have friends Caroline." He mumbled lowly. "So I don't rightly care about yours." Klaus perked with a sinister grin, his gaze travelling to the ceiling. "Hm, looks like they found their way here anyway. This should be interesting." He left her there, bound in the cellar alone in the dark…with no one to hear her screams and pleas.


	26. Evil Little PLans

Chapter 26: Evil Little Plans

Jeremy struggled in the tight grip of Justin, who laughed at his poor and useless attempt. Bonnie was thrown into the empty room face down on the hardwood floor. She pushed herself off the floor slowly, recollecting her strength and trying to shake away the pain of the impact. Jer struggled harder to come to her aid.

"I'm fine." She swayed, narrowing her eyes and tapping into her power source, bringing Justin to his knees. "Let's get out of here." She mumbled heading for the door.

Jeremy followed after her with a look of incredulity. "What? What about Caroline, and Elena and Damon?" he caught up to her quick pace outside. "We have to go back."

Bonnie whipped around. "This place is crawling with vampires, Jeremy. I'm not strong enough to take them all down. We need to come back with help." Jeremy nodded. "Now let's go, before someone comes after us." They ran the rest of the way back to the car.

…

Klaus made his way back upstairs from the underground cellar, walking up the spiraled stone staircase lined with torch lamps. He had it personally designed that way…it reminded him of England. The cellar ran two and a half stories into the ground; the perfect for holding place for captives.

When he made it bake into the entrance way on the opposite side of the old plantation, Justin was just getting to his feet. "Where the bloody hell are they?" he looked around, holding his arms out to his sides.

Justin sighed disappointedly. "They got away."

Klaus blinked in surprise. "They got away? How?" he bit out in mild curiosity. It didn't matter to him much. They were no match for him anyways.

Justin swallowed and shifted his weight nervously. "I think she was a witch…she made my brain explode." He clutched his head in recollection.

That piqued Klaus' interest. "A witch…" he mused. Before another word could be said, he sped out the door and down the dirt road and stopped in front of the two intruders. They came to a halt, gasping in surprise and fear. "Going somewhere?" he snapped Jeremy's neck with a sickening twist and knocked Bonnie out before she could even scream. Klaus tossed her over his shoulder and sauntered back to the old mansion, leaving Jeremy's body broken on the ground.

…

Elena walked into the room she shared with Damon with a mug in her hands, and he didn't even look up to acknowledge her presence. He was seated on the bed; his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, back against the headboard and his eyes trained on the books in his hands. She huffed. "I brought you some blood." Elena slowly walked aver placing the mug on the nightstand beside him. "Apparently Elijah drinks the bagged stuff too."

Damon's eyes didn't leave the book. "I already ate."

"You're still mad." She concluded with a nod.

Damon forced a fake smile and replied in a sing-song voice. "I'm not mad."

Elena crawled onto the massive king size bed next to him. "Yes you are, Damon. You won't even look at me." She ripped the Jack London book out of his grasp and chucked it across the room unceremoniously. "I'm sorry…you know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you." She replaced 'The Scarlet Plague' with her hands. "Please don't be mad." She begged.

Damon closed his eyes and sighed. It had been so hard staying mad at her for the past two days, but he needed her to know how this relationship she building with Klaus was effecting him. "Elena." He started slowly as his eyes opened. "I'm not okay with whatever bond you've created with Klaus. It makes me", he inhaled awkwardly. "…uncomfortable." If he was being completely honest, he was feeling insecure and a little inadequate.

"Okay." She replied simply with a shrug. "That's all you had to say." Damon shot her a confused and unbelieving stare. "Damon, you need to tell me how you feel about these things, otherwise I just think your being possessive and domineering."

He shot Elena a slight smirk. "I am being possessive and domineering." Damon watched Elena pulling out her ringing phone and ignored the call. "Caroline or Bonnie?" he asked knowing it would most likely be one or the other.

"No, Jenna… she's probably wondering when we're back from vacation." She uttered disgruntled, still upset that Elijah compelled her. "I'll text her back later."

Damon studied her for a moment. "Have you called any of them back yet?" It surprised him that he was a little disappointed Elena hadn't notified her friends. She left them, she owned it to them to put their mind's at ease. He knew all too well that feeling.

"No, I haven't called Caroline back. I want to because I miss her, I miss all of them, but I don't want them to come here to try and save us." She explained sadly.

Damon held out his hand. "Let me call her. I'll tell her that we're fine: there's plenty of blood and booze for me, and plenty of heartbroken vampires for you to fix." He shot Elena his classic sideways grin. "They won't need to come here."

She adored that he could make light of this situation. "Fine." She handed him her blackberry and watched him scroll through the names and call Bonnie first.

Damon frowned. "It went straight to voicemail."

"Try Caroline."

Damon did as she said and waited as it rang a few times. It was cut off and went to her voicemail. "No answer. Actually, I think she ignored you." He said honestly.

"What?" Elena was confused.

Damon shrugged. "It got cut off. She's probably past the worried stage and now she's just pissed." He tried to joke, but there was a hint of truth in his words. Elena looked disturbed by this. "Well you understand why, don't you?"

"I was trying to protect them! How could she be mad at me for that?" She snatched her phone back and shoved it in her back pocket.

Damon pulled Elena into him, using his speed, and situating her between his legs so her back was to him. "When are you going to learn that they can take care of themselves? Bonnie's a witch and Caroline is a vampire. You…are human." He drawled with playful condescendence. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I know what it's like to be left behind…and it sucks." He was referring to the many different times he was abandoned; by soldiers in war, by his father and by Katherine when she left his bed for Stefan's.

Elena rested her hands on his arms, and cuddled further into him. "I won't ever leave you behind…you know that. I just hope they didn't drag Jeremy into this. It's the last thing he needs right now."

There was a loud knock on the door before it was pushed open. Maxim stood in the doorway looking as arrogant as ever. Elena moved awkwardly out of the comfort of her boyfriend's body surrounding her, but he kept one arm around her waist. "Hey Damon; we got training outside in five." He shot Elena an appreciative smirk.

Damon tightened his arms around Elena protectively, pinning Maxim with an icy narrow glance. "Is the word 'privacy' in your vocabulary? We were in the middle of something." He nearly growled.

Max shrugged. "I knocked." He gave that cocky smirk that Damon was getting less and less fond of. He didn't smile like that, did he? "I'm sure you can jump right back into it when we're done." He winked in her direction.

Elena could feel the tension radiating off Damon's and glanced at him before he could respond. "It's okay…I'll wait for you here." She nodded reassuringly seeing his hesitation. "I'll be fine."

Damon slowly and reluctantly got up, took hold of her chin with one hand and placed a tender kiss on her full lips. "Stay here." To Maxim it sounded more like a demand, but Elena saw the concerned plead in his blue eyes.

"I will." She watched him stride out the door to their bedroom with a nonchalant confidence, with Maxim following him out. She collapsed back onto the bed with a deep sigh and waited.

…

Klaus looked down at the phone in his hand with a twisted smile. "That was a close one, wasn't it?" he asked Caroline from his crouched position in front of her. She struggled around her bonds weakly. "It was my fault, really. I should I have thought of this." He waved her phone for emphasis before crushing it with the hand he held it in. "Oh well…problem's solved now." He chuckled and dropped the pieces to the ground.

Caroline mumbled something through the curtain of hair hanging in front of her face.

Klaus feigned concerned interest. "I'm sorry?"

"They'll…find me." She breathed hoarsely.

He shrugged one shoulder. "Perhaps…but not until I'm done with you." A crooked smile crawled across his lips.

Tears slipped painfully down her cheeks. "What did you do to them?"

Klaus pulled up another chair and sat astride it backwards resting his arms on the back support. "Well, the boy is dead and laying in the driveway, and the witch…well she's gonna help me out with something." He spoke so nonchalantly, he could have been talking about what he ate for lunch.

"No…" she whimpered. "She'll never help you." She shook her head.

"Oh yes she will, because if she doesn't then I'll kill you."

…

Klaus walked up the last of the steps from the cellar, and rounded the corner to see his brother glaring at him. "What are you doing, Nicklaus?" his tone suggested he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Nothing she doesn't deserve."

"And the girl unconscious in the storage room under the stairs?" Elijah bit out with contempt.

Klaus smiled. "Found her, did you?" He stood up to his older brother. "She's going to help me with my Elena problem." He walked past him and headed towards the back door where the men were training.

Elijah grabbed his arm. "Elena is innocent in all of this. You leave her out of it." Elena was loyal and honest like himself and he owed it to her to save her from this fate.

Klaus ripped his arm out of his brother's grip, pinning him with an intense glare, before walking away.

…

His body looked like a heap on the gravel dirt road; his neck awkwardly cranked to one side. With a gasp he's eyes popped open and he looked around widely in disbelief. The last Jeremy remembered, Klaus had broken his neck after he and Bonnie ran from the mansion. He sat up in pain but ignored to check for Bonnie.

She was nowhere to be found. He gingerly got to his feet, and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to figure out why he was alive right now, but he didn't have time to waste. He needed to get help.

Jeremy made it the rest of the way back to the car and ripped out down the dusty trail towards the Highway…the black gem of his ring catching the light of the moon.


	27. And It All Unravels

A/N: So I wanted to take a second to have a little one on one with those still reading. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read my stories and leaving me relevant and constructive comments, positive and negative. I know that I haven't been consistent in my postings and I'm sorry to those that are bothered by that. I do have a full time job, which is no excuse but I have been solely focused on writing a novel in any spare time I have. It has also been brought to my attention that my last chapter was short and had no significance or "progress" I believe the word was. I wanted to give you something as opposed to nothing, and I believe that as short as it was, it drives the plot forward to this chapter.

So thank you to those that have been following the whole way, through the journey of each of my stories (Driver picks the music I'm talking to you lol) and I look forward to seeing your reviews after every chapter! Love You ALL.

Chapter 27: …And It All Unravels

Elena watched Damon and the other vampires train out the bedroom window. She felt lonely here. There was no other girl here and she was the only human alive. She saw Klaus watching the vampires, his soldiers, train also with a solemn look and realized how lonely he must be, and yet he was surrounded by people like himself. Elena felt for him, and wished that she could be the friend that he needed.

Klaus's eyes darted up to the window and Elena was startled that he caught her eyes right away. Instead of bolting out of sight she held his gaze and returned his sincere smile before focusing back on Damon in the large crowd. His eyes were on hers too, but he didn't have a sincere smile to offer.

Damon spotted the exchange of glances between them and felt his blood boil. Did they not just talk about this?!

Elena wandered away from the window and headed down the stairs to the kitchen, for no other reason than to occupy herself. Klaus seemed to be waiting in there for her. She averted her eyes and moved towards the fridge.

"Midnight snack?" he drawled with a cheeky grin.

She gave a slight nod and fished around not looking for anything in particular.

He nodded with realization. "Ah…I know what this is. You're not _allowed_ to talk to me, is it?" he teased her.

Elena sighed and turned around closing the fridge door. "It's not that I'm not allowed to talk to you…I can make my own decisions." She offered quickly. She managed to find an English muffin and some jam. She busied herself on toasting the muffin and grabbing herself a plate and a knife.

"Then why are you avoiding me?" he asked her with arrogance, as if knowing that he was right.

Elena finally looked him in the eye. "It makes Damon uncomfortable. I'm not avoiding you because he told me to…Damon tells me to do a lot of things and I rarely listen. I'm avoiding you because I know I should; because if I don't I could lose him." She saw the flash of hurt on his face and continued. "I'm sorry but I love him…and I can't risk that. Understand?" she questioned hesitantly. She felt like she just shot down Malcolm Dupree for the junior high school dance.

Klaus' face quickly turned stony. "I understand." He shoved his chair back and stood gracefully, leaving the kitchen with a determined swagger.

…

Whatever was in front of her was a blur. Objects melted together like blood in water. She had to blink several times to regain focus, but her body and vision as still weak.

"Morning Sunshine!" a cheery voice called out to her from across the room. The echo told her that it was a basement or a warehouse of some kind. Bonnie wiggled but found herself bound at her ankles and with her wrists behind her back on the cold cement floor.

"Wha…did you do to me?" Bonnie slurred turning her face up to her captor.

"Oh it's just a sedative…you'll recover in a couple of hours." Klaus uttered with self-satisfaction. He had nicked several of his mother's concoctions before he had killed her and once every century they came in handy. Bonnie tried to bring him to his knees, but Klaus just chuckled. "I'm above your parlor tricks, love. Now, here's what's going to happen."

…

It was nearly two in the morning when Damon was finished with training and although the fighting had giving him something to vent on, he was still mad. He made his way upstairs, fully prepared for a fight when he saw Elena asleep still in her clothes and hugging his pillow. She was over the covers, curled in a ball, looking entirely too small for the massive bed with a slight crease in her forehead.

An adoring smile crossed his face, and he decided that he could be angry with her tomorrow. Tonight, he would just hold her, and fill her head with good dreams instead of the worries that were most likely taking over.

He crawled in, and pulled her carefully into his embrace, mindful not to wake her, and closed his eyes.

…

By the time Jeremy got back to Mystic Falls half a day had passed, and it was nearly 1 o'clock. He had barely stopped, only to use the washroom and search for his phone, which seemed to be missing. He didn't dare stay off the road any longer than he had to, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the vampire that killed him. Why was he alive? Where was Bonnie? Who the hell could help him save them all? _How_ was he _alive_? Jeremy asked himself that question at least a hundred times. His neck snapped, and then nothing.

He shook his head pulling into the driveway of the Boarding House. Home with Jenna was not the best place to be. He was shaking and clearly in too much shock to deal with her questions at this point. Jeremy stumbled out of the car and into the house that no longer had anyone in it, and collapsed in both relief and in terror at the events that just transpired. What was he to do now?

He shakily got back to his feet and moved into the parlor room, hoping that a glass of Damon's finest bourbon would settle his nerves and found his eyes focus on the picture on the mantel; a picture of two men looking exactly the same as they did now, yet more youthful and carefree. The only person that was strong enough to help, wasn't here, and who knew if he would ever come back.

…

Damon watched Elena stare at her phone with a look of concern on her face. "What?"

She shook her head. "I've been texting Jeremy all day, and he hasn't gotten back to me. Something's wrong." She stated knowingly.

Damon forced himself not to roll his eyes. "What automatically makes you think that something's wrong? Maybe he's in the shower, or maybe he's got a girl over…it's not that far-fetched. The ghosties seem to like him." He joked with a hidden smile. His doubts about Elena and Klaus were put to rest when she told him about their conversation last night. She had chosen Damon…again, and that never seemed to stop amazing him.

Elena shot him a dirty glare. "I'm not kidding Damon, this isn't like him. First Bonnie, and Caroline, now Jeremy…" she trailed off uneasily.

Damon walked over to where she was standing by the window and put his arms around her. "Try not to worry so much, 'Lena. It could be nothing." He kissed her shoulder sweetly. "But I'll text Stefan and get him to check up on them, okay?"

Elena nodded and smiled up at him gratefully. "Thanks." He pulled out his phone and fired off a quick text to his brother, who he was sure off somewhere drowning his sorrows and feeling guilty for all the harm and pain he's caused. "I hate this."

"Hate what?" Damon questioned pocketing his iPhone again.

"This! Sitting idly by, knowing that he's just prepping you for a battle against werewolves. I didn't even know werewolves existed before we got here!" she exclaimed with frustration.

Damon forced a smile trying to put her at ease. "It's not like I'll be fighting alone Elena…I've got '_The Brethren_'." He explained exaggeratedly while rolling his eyes.

"That's not the point, Damon." she countered sadly. "I don't care if it's just you or a million vampires, I don't like the idea of it at all." Elena sighed. "Two weeks…the full moon is in two weeks and I'm scared." She admitted with a painful hitch.

Damon was quick to reassure her. "I'm going to be fine." He said with unflinching confidence, but if he were honest with himself, he wasn't sure. He recalled a moment with Elijah late last night.

_Damon was one of the last vampires to enter the plantation after training. He had caught Elijah's deliberate stare and followed him when the older vampire darted up the stairs to the top level and into a room on the far right. _

_He pushed the door open and Elijah was standing with his hands linked behind his back elegantly. "More than half of you won't survive this battle." He glanced minimally over his shoulder at Damon. "…not the way you are now." Damon wasn't sure what that meant, so he stayed silent and waited for him to continue. "A werewolf bite will kill any vampire…unless you're a hybrid. Klaus plans to turn his strongest soldiers into hybrids to increase his chances of success." Elijah's face turned sympathetic. "Your name was mentioned."_

_Damon shot him a disbelieving glare. "Are you fucking kidding me?! Like I would __**ever**__ want that." His voice exuded confidence but inside he felt nervous. He knew that whatever he wanted wouldn't stop Klaus._

_Elijah scoffed. "No vampire smart enough would. You may be nearly indestructible but there are many shortfalls. The turning alone will be excruciatingly painful. Every time a werewolf turns, every bone in their body breaks with the force of the shift." The older vampire turned to Damon and sauntered over. "The full moon is in nearly two weeks; Klaus will pick his strongest soldiers, and turn them when the moon is at its fullest." _

_Damon regarded him curiously. "Why are you telling me this?"_

_Elijah's lips cracked in a slight smile. "Consider it a fair warning…perhaps you should prepare Ms. Gilbert for the worst." _

…

Klaus stood with his arms crossed staring at the witch. "You are turning out to be completely useless." He mumbled more to himself than anyone.

She wheezed painfully from the cement floor. Caroline had passed out from the vervain Klaus had force fed her in order to sway Bonnie's mind, but both Caroline and the witch refused to succumb.

Klaus crouched in front of Bonnie. "She's your friend, isn't she?" he gestured to the blonde passed out in the chair. She nodded slowly. "You care about her…you want to protect her, she's someone you look out for?" Bonnie nodded again curious at this change in attitude.

"I did once…have someone." Klaus stated quietly. "That's why I need you. I need you to bring her back." Klaus was set on his goal, and all else was blurred around him.

She nearly laughed at the thought. "I don't have that kind of power…I wouldn't help you anyways."

"Really?" he retorted sarcastically. He was up in an instant; he broke a leg off the chair Caroline was sitting in and put it to her heart. "How about now?" he asked again.

Caroline came to quickly; she was disoriented at first but her eyes widened at the makeshift stake at her chest. "Oh my God…Bonnie!" she called in help.

"NO!" Bonnie forced herself onto her feet. "Okay…I'll help you, just don't kill her." She begged quietly.

Klaus dropped his hand, and released Caroline. Her chair teetered as it rested awkwardly on its three legs. "That's better!" he exclaimed "Now everyone's cooperating." He wandered into the farthest and darkest part of the cellar around a corner. He rolled back with him an oak coffin discolored with age that seemed to be completely sealed and stopped it in front of Bonnie. "Let's get to work."

Bonnie's eyes widened and darted to Klaus. "Now? I-I don't have my grimoire." She needed to buy time to find out how they could get out of this.

Klaus rolled his eyes sped back around the corner rifling through thing for a moment before he came back with a grimoire that appeared much older than her own, but also larger with more pages. "Now you do…the spell is in there." He stated impatiently dropping it to the floor at her feet.

Bonnie swallowed nervously casting a glance at Caroline before pulling the volume towards her. "Where did you get a witch's grimoire from?"

His gaze was icy, but his lips curled in a cool smile. "It belonged to the last witch that pissed me off." He paused. "She's dead."

At this point Bonnie had no choices. She flipped through the parchment pages slowly waiting for the right page to reveal itself. She stopped when a sense of foreboding washed over her. "This is it." She mumbled reluctantly. She read silently the scrawl and the pictures. "I'll need a few things." She listed off the different necessities for the spell and watched as he typed them into his phone.

When he was done, he pressed the button to close the application and slipped his phone in his pocket. "I love technology…I remember when the only way to communicate was by emissary. Don't move."

He sped up stairs and was back less than a minute later with Maxim in tow. Maxim looked around surprised then amused. "Well, well, ain't this sweet." He eyed Bonnie like she was dinner with dessert of the side. Klaus had walked straight over the Caroline and picked up the chair leg his dropped and walked back over to Maxim.

He took hold of his shoulders and locked his eyes on his. "Watch them. If they move, eat her," he pointed at Bonnie. "And stake the blonde." He put the stake in his hand and strode towards the stairs. "Try not to have too much fun." He called back.

…

Stefan got out of his newly acquired SUV Lincoln and took a slight inhale as he walked up the familiar steps leading up to the porch.

He knocked on the door of the Gilbert house, shoved his hands in his pockets and waited. "Stefan?" he heard the call from behind him. Jeremy closed the distance and climbed the stairs to the door. "Thank God you're here…"

Stefan frowned. "Damon told me to check up on you, Elena was worried, apparently she's been trying to call you."

"I lost my phone. Look, Caroline, Bonnie and I tried to find Damon and Elena in Mississippi but the plan failed and he took Caroline then killed me and now he has Bonnie." He rambled out frantically.

Stefan put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Who? Wait, you're in transition?"

Jeremy shook his head. "No, that's the thing I feel fine. He snapped my neck and I woke up hours later like it never happened. We need to go to find them now." Jeremy was already ahead of himself and walking down toward where Stefan had parked.

Stefan followed him down and stopped his reach to the door handle by holding his forearm. "Whoa, hold on Jeremy. Damon asked me to check up on you, not guide you back into the Lion's Den. You need to stay here, I'll check it out." He nodded once and waited for Jeremy to stop resisting him.

Jer stared Stefan in the eyes with determination. "I can't just stay here and leave them-"

"Yes." Stefan cut him off sternly, ripping the vervain bracelet off his wrist in a sudden flick. "You can, and you will." His eyes dilated a contracted. "Go back inside and stay there. You'll tell Jenna everything is fine, and forget this ever happened."

Jeremy nodded; his eyes blank and lifeless. "This never happened."

Stefan clapped him on the shoulder and grinned sinisterly. "Goood. Come on now, get on inside." He urged him like an owner would his pet. He chuckled lightly to himself and shoved his hand back in his pocket to pull out his car keys. As he walked around the front of the Lincoln, he got a buzz from his phone.

Stefan saw the name and answered coolly. "Nic…I was wondering how long it would take for your invitation." He smiled. "I even got you a housewarming gift." We he got in, he cast a glance behind him at the boy tied up and passed out across the back seat.

He got the call…it was time.

…

Klaus just returned from picking up the necessities for the spell when he spotted Elena sitting under a shaded tree reading a book from the library on the main floor. He smiled.

"_Nicklaus!" she called out to him in a playful sing-song tone. "Do you care to join me?" She stared at him from under her dark lashes as she stood by the White Oak tree._

_Nicklaus didn't waste any time getting to her and happily swung her in his arms, laughing as she squealed with delight. He lowered them both to the ground and leaned against the trunk, letting her sit between his legs with her back resting on his chest. He tenderly ran his fingers through her chestnut locks that fell in perfect waves over her shoulders down to her waist. "Not likely I'll decline anything you ask of me." He admitted kissing the crown of her head. _

_She tilted her head up to face him. "Will we always be like this?" the question sounded innocent and pure, much like she was. _

_Nicklaus gave her a sincere smile filled with love. "Much longer than 'always', Tatya."_

Klaus gazed at Elena remembering one of his last moments with Tatya, every second his resolve getting stronger. He was going to keep that promise.


	28. Dreams

Chapter 28: Dreams

Elijah stood in the upstairs parlor room waiting for his brother to join him. There were things to discuss, the full moon was fast approaching and they were short a werewolf for the ritual. Elijah of course didn't approve of the creation of Hybrids, but he knew they would never succeed without them.

He was worried that Klaus was losing sight of the plan though. For the past few days he seemed preoccupied with his two captures in the cellar and Elena. There were times when Elijah caught him gazing at her in a way that revealed his humanity; that he still had feelings and cared about something other than himself, but he was worried that this distraction would be an unwelcome one. At least they already had the witch and the vampire for the ritual in captivity.

"Brother!" Klaus called out, catching Elijah's attention. "What's the big rush for this impromptu meeting, hm?"

Elijah fixed his steady gaze on his younger brother. "I feel you're losing sight of what's important, Nicklaus. The full moon is in less than two weeks and we don't yet have our werewolf."

Klaus waved a dismissive hand. "Not to worry, Elijah…I have someone on the way with the werewolf as we speak. He should be here by night fall." Klaus turned back towards the door to leave thinking their conversation was over.

"And what of the girl?" the older Original continued. "I hope you haven't lost sight of her role in all this." Her blood was needed to break the curse, but with the way Klaus had been regarding her recently, he wasn't sure if Klaus would be prepared to cross that line.

Klaus stopped dead in his tracks and turned slowly. "I have been waiting to break this curse for over five hundred years, brother…I haven't forgotten the doppelganger's role, I assure you." He grumbled bitterly. He had waited for Katherine to appear to break the curse but she was smart and turned herself before he could use her. She repaid her debt to him by turning the Salvatore brothers centuries later. But this time he knew he needn't worry. The doppelganger would help him willingly…because she loved him.

…

Klaus headed down to the cellar to give the witch everything needed for the spell. He watched her quietly as she set herself up.

"Can you open the coffin?" she asked demurely, not really wanting to see the body inside.

Klaus glared at her sharply. "No."

Bonnie sighed. "I need to be close to her in order to make a connection." She stated in way of explanation.

Klaus grabbed her had roughly and placed it on the ancient coffin. "She's been in it for the last thousand years, I'd say that's close enough." He was starting to get impatient. Elijah was questioning him and he needed this done before he was found out and stopped. "Get it done." He let go of her hand and strode back out of the cellar.

…

It was the middle of the night by the time Stefan arrived in Mississippi. He parked his Lincoln in the driveway and hopped out with an air of confidence. It was so easy to find the kid, and even easier to provoke him into killing someone. Stefan didn't know the guy very well, but he was sure that a douche jock like him deserved this fate. Unlocking the door for the backseat, Stefan hauled the drugged body over his shoulder, letting the boy's head bounce off his back, and headed up the front steps.

He was pretty proud of himself for pulling this off so expertly. He slipped quietly through the front door and sped through the mansion to the cellar that Klaus had directed him to over the phone earlier. He walked down the steps and stopped at the solid stone door, using his foot to knock and announce his presence. It took only moments for Maxim to answer it, with amused surprise.

"Well, well…if it ain't the Ripper himself, and you brought dinner." He stated eying the body slung over Stefan's shoulder.

"Not dinner…" Stefan moved passed Maxim and observed Bonnie and Caroline farther in the dark cellar, only lit by candles, with a satisfied smirk. Neither of them seemed to notice him; Caroline was nearly passed out from the vervain and hunger, and Bonnie was focused on her spell. "Hello ladies." He announced self-righteously.

Caroline snapped to attention at the familiar voice. "Stefan, thank God!"

Bonnie chimed in. "Please, help us."

The vampire couldn't help but chuckle. "I though you could use someone to keep you company." He let the body hit the floor with a resounding thud and waited for realization to cloud their features.

Bonnie gasped and Caroline frown in utter confusion before her eyes widened in disbelief. "Tyler?"

…

Elena woke up in the morning with a strange feeling in her gut. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and it read 4:33am. She crawled out of bed, mindful not to wake up Damon and snuck down the hall intent on getting a glass of water from the kitchen downstairs. It was when she got to the staircase that she changed direction. She wandered to the first step of the spiral staircase going up to the fourth floor. She hadn't been allowed up there before but for some reason she had an urge to break the rule.

She placed her hand on the wooden railing and trailed it up as she continued upwards slowly and quietly. Her heart pounded in her chest, but it felt good, like it was setting a melodic rhythm of soothing sound. Without missing a beat she turned left and headed to the door at the end of the hall.

Her heart pounded harder as she stopped in front of the solid oak barrier. Elena hesitantly placed her hand on the doorknob.

"Elena?"

She whipped around startled both by her name and the familiar voice. "Stefan?" she whispered in disbelief and a little relief.

He smiled calmly and reassuringly. "What are you doing outside Klaus' room?" he asked with a concerned frown.

Elena had too many questions in her head. _Stefan was here? Why was he here? And when did he get here?_ She darted a glance back at the door and frowned in confusion. "I-I don't know…this is Klaus' room?" _How did he know that?_

Stefan nodded and held out a hand to me to take. He seemed to see the questions on her face. "Come on, I'll explain everything." He led her back downstairs to the kitchen and busied himself making tea for the two of them.

"What are you doing here, Stefan?"

Stefan sighed and put on his ever famous broody face. "I was trying really hard to get better, get over Katherine…try and move on." He swallowed painfully. "And then I bumped into this vampire in Texas that told me all these stories; Brothers from a direct descendent of the Original vampire lineage, coming together to form an army…" he trailed off with a resigned sigh. "I realized that I was being enlisted," he joked half-hearted and bitterly. "and I ran…but it didn't take long for him to catch up with me. I got Damon's text to check on Jeremy and on my way out of town I was brought back here." He lied seamlessly to his ex-love with no shame.

"Is Jeremy okay?" she asked frantically.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah, yeah...he's home with Jenna. They're both fine."

She nodded back with relief. "And Caroline and Bonnie…have you seen them? I think they're both mad at me for leaving." She admitted guiltily.

He smiled for her, but kept the smirk to himself. "I saw them too. They're not mad at you…just a bit tied up with their own stuff." He put a slight emphasis on 'tied up'. "I don't think you need to worry about them."

"Good." Elena sighed and placed a hand on his. "I'm sorry this happened to you Stefan…It didn't even occur to me that they would come for you too. At least you and Damon have each other now." She added with relief. She had been worried about Damon not having anyone here but herself that he could trust…and now he had his brother, the one person he could trust no matter what.

…

_I watched on with worry as he was slammed to the ground by his father and Mikael pointed the tip of his sword at his son's throat. _

"_You are foolish and impulsive, my son." Nicklaus panted in fear. "What? No more laughter?" he growled._

_I glance at Esther as she spoke up. "You've made your point, Mikael."_

_The enraged man thrust his sword into the ground beside Nicklaus and I turned my head away and cringed. "Some days…it's a miracle that you're still alive. Boy." He spat before standing up and sauntering off._

_I ran to his aid, kneeling beside him. "Are you alright?" I caressed the side of his face tenderly. "Are you hurt?" I checked him over worriedly._

"_I'm fine, my love." He stood up holding out a hand to help me up as well. "You needn't worry about me. My father's only intent is to make me fear him." He added begrudgingly. _

"_Nicklaus!" his sister called out to him rushing over. She smiled at me, before turning her playful smile to her brother. "If it eases you any, Henrick and I were quite impressed…you'll be a great fighter in battle." Rebekah idolized her older brother. _

_He graced her with a smile. "Thank you, sister."_

_Elijah came over and the pure smile he gave me sent a heated blush to my cheeks, and I had to bow my head to hide it from Nicklaus' eyes. I wasn't blind to the looks he had for me, or the small gestures of appreciation. "Miss. Tatya…" he bowed regally as if I were royalty, his eyes never leaving mine. "Did you enjoy the show?" _

_I raised my chin and pushed back my nervousness in his presence. He was much too charming for his own good…or mine. "I did, Klaus was very good." I casted a loving glance in his direction, using my personal name for him. I purposely, evaded mentioning Elijah's performance in the fight. _

_Elijah seemed to catch on unlike everyone else and gave me a knowing stare. He knew I lusted for him, and as embarrassing as it was, it was almost a relief for someone to know other than myself. I loved Nicklaus more than words could express…but there was a fire between Elijah and I that I couldn't explain to even myself. With one last heated look, he turned back to his brother, who seemed to not have noticed my conversation with Elijah at all, having been engaged in an exchange of light words with Rebekah and Henrick. "Nicklaus…find Finn and Kol and get everyone inside to the caves. The moon becomes full tonight." _

_We knew what that meant. The wolves would be free. The men we called our neighbours would turn into beasts. _

_Rebekah and Henrick headed off to the caves leaving me alone with the two brothers. Nicklaus placed both his hands on my face. "Go with Elijah…he'll keep you safe until I get back." He kissed my forehead and headed towards the woods to find his brothers._

_Elijah graced me with another of his beautifully rare beaming grins and offered his arm for me to take. "Shall we?"_

_I linked my arm through his feeling a fluttering in my stomach. _

Her eyes popped open with a startled gasp. She sighed and woke from the dream running her hands over her face.

"You okay?" Damon mumbled wrapping his arms back around her.

Elena nodded. "Yeah…just had a weird dream." She went over it again in her head and was surprised when she still recalled it as vividly as it did in her dream. She remembered ever detail, ever word said as if it were a recent memory.


	29. I Can't Fail

Chapter 29: I Can't Fail

Elena woke up alone the next morning. The sunlight filtered in through the windows and cast beams of light over her face. Oddly there was a slight sense of panic and urgency buried somewhere inside her but she pushed it down thinking it was the worry of the ritual that was happening in less than two weeks.

She was promised that she would survive it, but it was Damon she was worried about. She didn't want him in this battle. Throwing the covers off her legs she put her bare feet on the hardwood and moved around the room starting to get ready. She wasn't prepared for Damon bursting into the room in a fury.

"Why didn't you tell me Stefan was here?" His eyes glowered at her in a bright icy blue stare.

Elena was shocked at first, stuttering her response. "I-I don't know, Damon. I saw him in the middle of the night while I was getting something to drink…I wasn't going to wake you up just to tell you." She carefully left out the part where Stefan caught her outside Klaus' room. She couldn't explain that to herself, let alone Damon.

He stepped closer to her. "Well you should have. He can't be here…Stefan is not strong enough to fight _werewolves_ Elena…he can barely fight _me_! He'll die." He explained passionately, worried for his brother's safety.

"Maybe not." Elena assured thinking of the brighter side. "He told me he was getting better…maybe he'll be strong enough." She tried to close the distance between them and reach out but Damon paced the room continuing on as if she said nothing.

"I need to get him out of here…I need to get you both out of here, soon."

"I can't leave Damon…they need my blood for the ritual. Klaus wouldn't let me leave. He won't let Stefan leave either. Look I know you're worried, but plotting against a thousand year old vampire is not going to end well for any of us." Elena finally stopped his pacing by putting her hand on his cheek and the other on his shoulder. "Please don't do anything impulsive."

"I don't want you hurt." He insisted, running a hand gently over her silky hair. "I have to do something." He placed both hands on her face. _"Go with Elijah…he'll keep you safe until I get back." _

She stood stunned, her eyes wide and her heart pounding. "What?" Elena whispered breathily.

Damon frowned. "I said stay close to Stefan; you'll be safe with him until I get back." He let go of her face and turned for the door.

Elena shook her head to wipe clean the memory of her dream. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I need to talk to Elijah…see if there's a way around this. Some deal I can cut with him…I don't know." He mumbled the last past to himself, in a moment of uncertainty. He really didn't have a plan at this point; he just needed to assure himself that the one's he cared about would be safe.

"Damon!" Elena called out after him, but he was already out the door. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. She contemplated telling Damon about her dreams, about her late night walk to Klaus' bedroom last night, but she knew that would only worry him more. She would figure out herself.

Once she finished getting ready, Elena headed for the door of their bedroom, but felt a gripping pain ripple through her. It started in her toes and moved up her legs, torso, lungs, heart and head. She collapsed to the floor, curling up in the fetal position as she writhed in pain. After what was only seconds, her eyes popped open and she gracefully got to her feet, looking around the room.

A light shone in her eyes, along with experience and wisdom of a woman much older than what she looked. "Nicklaus." She whispered, before beginning her search.

…

Bonnie dropped her hands from the coffin, and rested them back on her lap. "It's done."

Klaus pushed off from the far wall and sauntered over to her. "Excellent."

Caroline watched as he moved the coffin back into the nook in the back of the cellar. "Isn't she going to wake up?" She asked confused.

Klaus smirked. "She already has. Thank you for all of your hard work." He said to Bonnie before back handing her so hard it knocked her out. "Maybe you should rest."

"What the hell!" Caroline struggled in her bonds. "She just helped you, why did you have to do that?"

Klaus walked over Bonnie and side stepped a still passed out Tyler to stand in front of Caroline. "Because, love…I couldn't have her figuring anything out too soon now, could I?" he grabbed her face. "Now…I want you to listen to me. Every time she wakes up I want you to knock her out until I get back, same for the boy."

Caroline's eyes turned blank and she nodded obediently. "Okay."

Klaus smirked. "Good." He cooed as of talking to an animal. He deftly untied her ropes while holding eye contact and let her free. "You won't leave and you won't let them leave. If you fail I want you to stake yourself."

Caroline stared at him in fear, but agreed even as tears pooled in her eyes. "I won't leave…they won't leave." She whimpered, grabbing the stake Klaus offered to her with shaky hands.

"Thank you Darling, for being so cooperative." He stood gracefully and left them in the cellar. As he headed up the stairs to the main level, he heard a whisper of his name and sped up to his room with an eagerness he hadn't felt since he was human. _She's here. Finally._ He stood in the doorway and she immediately turned around feeling his presence.

She smiled adoringly and ran into his arms. "Nicklaus…" she mumbled into his neck. "I thought I'd never see you again."

He exhaled with relief and held her tightly to him. "I promised forever to you once, Tatya, and you know I keep my promises."

She pulled away to look at his face in awe. "How is this possible?" her English accent was slightly faded, the voice of her new body overpowering it. "Everything is so different from before…how long has it been?"

"Too long, my love." He couldn't keep his hands off her, needed to make sure she was real. "Nearly a thousand years I've been without you." Tatya's eyes widened in disbelief. "My mother turned us into vampires, to protect us from the werewolves. The spell she cast that took your life made us indestructible, but there were some side effects…" He continued on, explaining what he was and his unsuccessful efforts to bring her back.

"And this is her body…Elena the doppelganger?" Tatya asked looking down at herself.

"Yes…she was the only vessel that could be used for the spell. I tried with the first one, Katerina, but she turned herself into a vampire and the vessel had to be living. I had originally decided to use Elena's blood to break the curse but when Elijah brought her here-"

Tatya blinked. "Elijah? Elijah's here?" her heart pounded with excitement and nervousness. She recalled Elena's dream of her past as if it had just happened, and the rare and intense connections shared with her lover's elder brother.

"Yes, but he knows nothing of what I've done to bring you back. He believes I'm still trying to break the curse and become a Hybrid." He answered earnestly. The last thing he wanted was Tatya revealing herself to his brother before planned.

She frowned in slight confusion. "Well aren't you? You know I would help you with anything you needed. If it's my blood then so be it." She concluded devotedly.

Klaus shook his head and kissed her forehead lovingly. "No, love." He couldn't even fathom hurting her for his own selfish reasons now that she was here in front of him. "You being here is all I need. The whole reason behind the battle was to create Hybrids for myself…people I can trust; a family. But these vampires…the Brethren, they're not loyal to me, they don't care about me…they're here by force." He admitted sadly.

She smiled knowingly, placing her hand on his cheek. "Then let them go, Klaus. If we're all each other needs, then let them go."

He struggled with agreeing with her. He knew she was right, but he couldn't. "I can't, pet." He ground out turning away. "I still need them to protect myself and you."

"I don't understand." Tatya crossed her arms over her chest in a way she wasn't used to. Elena's body still had some control over her instincts. "Protect yourself from what Klaus…you are indestructible, you said it yourself. Who could possibly bring you harm?"

Klaus stared at her with fear in his eyes. "My father."

…

Damon stood on the far corner of the property watching as Elijah patiently made his way over. "I got your note." He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

Damon smirked. "'Dear Elijah, let's get together and plot the destruction of your brother. Xoxo…'" he trailed off.

"'Damon.'" Elijah managed a small smirk at his bravery for soliciting his own brother's death. "What makes you think I want my brother dead, hm?" he was curious.

Damon kept his stare confident and hard. "You told me the plan, and something tells me you don't want it to happen. Klaus seems pretty hell bent on going through with it…so at this point I see only one option." He shrugged.

"Killing him." Elijah finished. "Well Original vampires are hard to kill Damon, you'd definitely have a hard time without a little help." He stated evasively.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Are you offering?" He knew it was a long shot enlisting Elijah but he went with his instincts. He needed to save Elena, and his brother.

"I care about my brother, as I'm sure you care about yours." He sighed. "But Klaus needs to be stopped…I fear that his plan to create Hybrids will bring more destruction to this world." He rolled his eyes. "Like the entertainment industry hasn't done enough." He scoffed.

"So what's the plan?"

"There is one man. He is the most ruthless vampire hunter known. He kills nothing but vampires." Elijah divulged.

Damon frowned. "Is he human…or is it more of a Buffy-Slayer type deal?"

Elijah shook his head. "He's a vampire. He was created to rid the Original vampire line after we were turned. We've been running from him for a thousand years."

"A vampire, vampire hunter? Sounds a little hypocritical to me. How do we find him?"

He laughed. "You don't find Mikael, Damon…he finds you."

…

Stefan moved around the kitchen, grabbing a blood bag from the fridge and pouring it into a glass. Light streamed in from the windows and cast across his face.

"How you doin' that, man?" a voice sounded from the shadows in the hallway before the kitchen.

Stefan turned around to see Maxim glaring at him in jealously. "Do what?"

"Stand in the sunlight…you ain't even burnin'."

Stefan lifted his hand. "Got a ring." He answered cockily. "God, I can't even imagine what that must be like; bound in the shadows, never feeling the warm sun on you face…must be dark." He teased mercilessly.

"Fuck you, man…how you get it?" He questioned eagerly.

"Gotta know a witch." He took a long chug of his blood and put the empty glass in the sink. "You should get out…it's a great day. Oh wait…you can't." he laughed and walked out onto the front porch.

…

Caroline held the stake in her hand, unable to let it go and cried as she watched Tyler slowly start waking up.

"Ugh…" he moaned pushing himself to his hands and knees. "What happened? Where am I?" he felt a presence standing near him. "Caroline? What…what's going on?"

"I can't let you leave." She mumbled reluctantly. She moved forward and kicked him in the stomach making him roll over and clutch his ribs.

"Oh fuck…why are you doing this?"

"I have to…he told me I had to!" she tried to explain. "I don't want to…but I have to." She sobbed almost deliriously.

He moved to get up again and she kicked him hard, but this time he fought back, pulling her down by her leg and pinning her to the floor. "Why are you so strong? What the hell's wrong with your face?!"

She struggled to release herself from him but he overpowered her. "I'm a vampire." He let he go in a moment of shock, and she used it to pin him to the ground. "Why did they bring you here, you're not a vampire, are you?"

"No…I'm a monster. I-I killed someone. It was an accident I didn't mean to, and then afterwards something started happening. My body…it changes. On the full moon." He stated apprehensively, not knowing if she would believe him.

Caroline's eyes widened in understanding. "You're a werewolf."

"Look, we need to get out of here…that Stefan guy that Elena used to date…he's fucking crazy ok, he messed me up pretty bad and I'm guessing he's the one that brought me here, where ever we are, and we need to get out of here before some shit goes down." He headed for the exit and Caroline sped up and slammed him into the hard stone wall.

"NO!" she screamed. "You can't leave! I can't let you leave!" her face broke out into veins and her eyes turned a blood red.

Tyler was still shocked by seeing his school friend in this new light. "What do you mean, Caroline? We could die here!"

Bonnie started to come to and Caroline sobbed in regret of what she had to do. "Argh!" she growled zipping over to Bonnie and punching her across the face, watching her crumble to the ground again. "Sorry, Bonnie." She whispered.

Tyler tackled her to the ground and put his hand around her throat. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" he shook his head and stood. "I'm outta here."

He headed for the door again but Caroline's sobs stopped him. "No! Please….I can't fail! I can't fail, please Tyler, don't let me fail." He turned back around to see her now standing and holding the stake to her heart.

His eyes widened in realization. "What are you doing Caroline?"

"He said if I fail, I have to stake myself. He compelled me, Tyler. I _have_ to. He said I can't leave and I can't let you leave. If I do…I fail." She whimpered with a sad shrug.

Tyler slowly walked back. "Okay…I'm not leaving. I'm not going to leave okay…you'll be fine." He soothed, watching as she sighed in relief.

"Okay." She nodded letting him hold her comfortingly for a few seconds. "I'm sorry." She bought her head back and smashed it into his watching him fall to the ground.

…

Tatya paced in the room she woke up in, waiting for Damon to come in. Klaus had asked her to play along in order to avoid giving herself away as Tatya, and she was eager to help Nicklaus with anything he asked. He did save her after all.

She held small parts of who Elena was; memories, mannerisms, and feelings that she would tap into to fool Damon. When he entered her head shot up.

Damon frowned in disappointment. "I thought I told you to stay with Stefan. Why do you _always_ go against what I say?" he wasn't angry, but he just seemed exasperated.

Tatya tucked her hair behind her ear. It seemed odd to her that her hair was this straight. "I'm sorry Damon…I thought I'd be just as safe up here, and I'm fine." She smiled for his sake.

Damon sighed in relief and pulled her into his arms. "You know how much I love you…I just want you to be safe."

Tatya frowned with unease. She felt uncomfortable hearing words that were reserved for someone else. "I'm fine." She whispered.

Damon nodded. "I talked to Elijah…he's going to help us."

Tatya frowned and pulled away to look at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Damon smiled and held her face. "I've got a plan…to get rid of Klaus." He whispered in her ear, to assure that no one would hear his plan.

Tatya's eyes bulged in fear and panic and she was grateful that the position she was in prevented him from seeing her face. _No!_


	30. The Upper Hand

A/N: Hello people…another chapter for you. I hope everyone is enjoying it! Just a slight heads up…in my story it is possible for a vampire to be made into a Hybrid, as well as vice versa. I hope that clears things up for this chapter. And reviews=faster updates. ;)

Enjoy!

Chapter 30: The Upper Hand

Tatya watched through the window as the vampires trained in the darkest part of the night. She took in the scenery that surrounded the property. This world was astounding to her: the clothes, the language…everything was so different. How Nicklaus had adapted to it over the years was even more incredible. It was as if he was raised in the time of cell phones and computers, not sword fighting and hunting. He had shown her how to use Elena's phone the day before, and she had pushed and swiped her finger over the screen for nearly an hour.

Now she bit her thumbnail, an old habit of hers, as she watched Elijah lead those younger than him in the training. A sad frown crossed her face. This was not the same Elijah. He seemed jaded, in his eyes especially, not as playful and carefree as he used to be. He wasn't _smiling_. Tatya was always graced with his smiles, and without them he seemed to be a completely different person. Someone that would turn his back on his own brother.

"Tatya." She whipped around at the sound of her name and was startled by Klaus standing closely behind her.

"Klaus! Heavens, you frightened me." She swatted his arm with little effort.

He smirked. "Sorry love…You need to work on your speech. People will figure you out if you keep talking like that." He admonished.

Tatya challenged him with her eyes. "Like who? No one knows of me but Elijah." She put emphasis on the 'J' as she always had.

Klaus' jaw tightened. "Precisely, Tatya…and apparently he's not someone we can trust right now." He glared down at his brother from the window, but Elijah was completely oblivious.

She pulled him away from the window and held his hand in hers. "Perhaps I was mistaken. Maybe Elijah is betraying Damon not you…you are his brother after all." She tried to give the man she loved hope that the man she lusted after was worthy of his trust. _I must be the most wretched woman for becoming a rope in a Brother's tug of war. _

"I know my brother…he's noble, believes in right and wrong; he doesn't want me to make Hybrids."

Tatya frowned in confusion, tilting her head. "I thought you didn't need to make Hybrids anymore."

"Well I have to now, don't I?" he ground out in frustration, focusing on an empty space in front of him. "Elijah knows where Mikael would be…he was always the favorite." He admitted with jealousy.

"Why don't we leave then? Go somewhere he'll never find us." Tatya pleaded. She knew Mikael was not someone to be messed with when he was human. After hearing the story of his ascendance to vampire hunter, Tatya feared his wrath now.

Klaus forced a laugh. "Run? I've been running for a thousand years. The only reason he hasn't found me is because of Elijah. He's helped me evade him this long."

Tatya huffed and crossed her arms gracefully. "And what of the rest of them? Rebekah, Finn, and Kol…Julius?" she added as an afterthought. Julius wasn't always kind to her, his jealously of his brother too strong.

"Julius is dead. I killed him." Klaus explained nonchalantly. "The rest are daggered, for their own protection."

Tatya's eyes widened. "You killed you own brother, Nicklaus? And you wonder how Elijah could betray you." She whispered haughtily. She was warned not to speak too loud in this house. There was always someone listening.

"Oh he deserved it, Tatya." He defended himself. "He wanted to kill the doppelganger and use her blood to make himself more powerful than me. Of course, his plans were always desultory so naturally bound for failure but if he had killed her, my plans would be ruined…I wouldn't have been able to bring you back." He justified softly.

"I don't feel like myself…" she admitted. "I can feel her pushing against me, fighting to get out." Tatya still felt some on Elena's instincts, not enough to change her judgement, but enough to make her uncomfortable.

"That's not supposed to happen." Klaus stated worriedly. "I'll take care of it. Now head back to Damon's room, before he gets back."

Tatya gave him a dejected look that had always melted him. "How much longer must I keep up this charade? Why can't I just stay here with you?" she rested her hands on his chest.

Klaus held her hands bringing them up to kiss her knuckles. "Because love, that would be suspicious. I need to deal with my brother first." He kissed her soundly, remembering how they were once before and determined for it to be the same again.

…

Two hours later:

Elijah entered the parlor room after the training session for a drink. It was nearly four in the morning and he felt usually exhausted. _Reduced to babysitting._ He thought to himself.

He had been reluctant to retaliate on his brother when Damon first propositioned it, but he was convinced as the day went on. Klaus had been solely focused on his captures in the cellar and Elena, more recently. He had spotted the two in Klaus' sitting room window in the west wing earlier.

Elijah swirled his scotch in the tumbler. "It's awfully late for you to be up and about." He didn't look up from his glass to acknowledge Elena's entrance.

She crossed her arms almost uncomfortably. "I couldn't sleep."

Elijah nodded. "Drink?"

"No...thank you." She responded quietly. Tatya paused for a moment; she needed to know if Elijah was truly against them. "I talked to Damon-" She was stopped when he rushed to her, covering her mouth with his hand.

He shook his head slowly. When he was sure she wouldn't say more he released her and put a few feet's distance between them. She continued to stare at him with wide eyes. "Damon is one of our strongest soldier's…Klaus has decided to make him a Hybrid."

Tatya's eyebrows furrowed with confusion at the sudden change of subject. "What?" She was unsure how to respond. "Does Damon know?" she continued calmly.

Elijah nodded. "Yes. He's already agreed to it, Elena. He knows the importance of the Brotherhood."

Tatya glared at him with a sudden fierceness. "What do you know of Brotherhood, Elijah?" she stopped forgetting who she was pretending to be. "Leading all these people to their deaths, knowingly!?" she covered quickly. "I've seen werewolves…they are vicious. They will tear them apart. I hope you can live with that." Tatya walked away leaving Elijah standing alone staring after her oddly.

…

Damon stopped his pacing when Elena entered their room. "Where were you?" he demanded.

"Downstairs…I was thirsty." She watched as Damon closed the distance between them, and tried not to flinch when he pushed her hair off her shoulder. All she wanted was to be with Klaus, not pretend to be the lover of her doppelganger's boyfriend.

"You can't just wander around in the middle of the night, 'Lena." He stated with concern. "This place is crawling with hungry vampires…you'll be safer with me." He noticed she looked uncomfortable. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"You sure? You're acting strange." He pushed, looking her over.

Tatya pulled away. "I'm fine, Damon…just tired." She heard a buzz, and watched as Damon pulled out his phone from his back pocket and looked at it with a deep frown. "What is it?" She wondered what he was looking at. _Weren't you supposed to talk with those things?_

"Um…it's Stefan. I need to meet him in five minutes." He continued to stare at his phone for a moment before offering her a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

Her eyes followed him as he moved to the door. "Is everything alright?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine, just stay here okay?"

…

Damon made sure he wasn't followed as he sped into the woods behind the property. He found the small clearing where Elijah patiently waited for him.

"Thank you for meeting me." He stated linking his hands behind his back elegantly.

Damon wasted no time. "What's wrong with her?" he demanded.

The older vampire looked surprised. "You noticed?"

He scoffed. "Of course I fucking noticed! She talks different, she _smells_ different. She doesn't respond to me the way she usual does…what's _wrong_ with her?!"

Elijah sighed. "It's not Elena. She gave herself away when she said my name. Eli-jah." He put emphasis on the 'J'. "Only she called me that." He explained quietly. "She also mentioned that she'd _seen_ werewolves…Elena made it clear she was unaware werewolves existed until recently."

"Who is _she_?" Damon was starting to get frustrated with the lack of clarification.

"Tatya Petrova."

"The Original Doppelganger? I thought she was dead."

Elijah nodded. "She was…I believe Klaus has resurrected her and in souled her in Elena's body."

Damon's face shifted from bewilderment to rage. "What?! How?! Where is Elena?" Panic rose inside him.

"I believe she's still in there…Klaus has a witch in captivity, he must have forced her to do the spell…he has access to our mother's grimoire." Elijah pieced together.

"A witch? In the house? What witch would willingly help a vampire?"

Elijah shook his head. "I don't believe it was willingly. She must not have known that Tatya would be in souled in her friend. Klaus can be very persuasive."

Realization dawned on Damon. "Bonnie…Bonnie's the witch? He has Bonnie?" he made a move to go back to the house, when Elijah stopped him by pinning him to a tree.

"You cannot be irrational right now Damon…it's important to keep a level head when dealing with Klaus…he will not hesitate in killing you." He released him. "He has the blonde as well."

"Caroline…how do we get them out, where are they?"

"Patience. We need to deal with Klaus before anything else. Have you told Tatya _anything_ that relays our plan to eliminate him?" the Original enquired.

Damon winced. "I told her you were going to help us."

Elijah closed his eyes biting his tongue. "Anything else?" He couldn't blame him…he could have very well given that impression while stopping her from speaking earlier that night.

"No…how do we get her _out_ of Elena's body?" That was his main concern now. How did he get his Elena back?

"They have no clue that we know, Damon…that means we have the upper hand. We must play along until the moment to strike arises." He explained patiently. "I have hope that Elena can be saved."

"I don't need _hope_, Elijah! I need _facts_!"

Elijah nodded. "In time…I need to make a phone call." Although the thought alone sent a ripple of uncertainty through him, he knew what needed to be done.

He was going to locate his father.

…

Bonnie woke, her vision cloudy and her body aching. "What happened?" she murmured.

Caroline sniffled. "I'm sorry…he told me I had to."

"Good work, Caroline." The English voice echoed in the cellar. "Your job is done here. I assume everyone is well rested." He joked, noticing Tyler starting to wake up as well. He crouched to his level and stared him in the eyes. "Be a good dog and stay."

Bonnie focused on Klaus. "The spell didn't work…she's still in the coffin."

Klaus broke into a huge grin. "Oh it worked just fine, love. Your friend, Elena was very accommodating."

Caroline turned her head suddenly to stare at him. It made her feel sick, she was weak with starvation. "What does that mean?"

Bonnie closed her eyes. "No…" she whispered to herself. She should have known. "You put her in Elena's body."

"No _you_ put her in Elena's body. I don't blame you for the mistake the ancient text can sometimes be confusing to translate." He goaded mercilessly. "Thank you for being so helpful."

Bonnie was too weak from both the spell and lack of nutrition to say or do anything. She collapsed to the ground again and wept as Klaus grabbed the grimoire and marched back upstairs.

Caroline rushed to her friend as quickly as she could in her weakened state. She bit into her wrist and held it out for Bonnie. "Here…it'll make you stronger."

Bonnie shook her head. "No…drink from me first." She needed them both to be strong if they were going to save Elena.

Caroline stared at her in shock. "Bonnie it'll only make you weaker. Drink."

It took all of her strength to explain. "You have vervain in your system…if I drink from you first then when you drink from me it will make _you_ weaker." She offered to arm and waited as Caroline bit into her as gently as she could with being so starved. If it were anyone else she wouldn't have stopped once she tasted blood after so long, but this was Bonnie.

She pulled away and bit back into her wrist which had closed up. "Here." Bonnie drank, at first disgusted but with more eagerness when she felt it make her stronger.

"Thank you." Bonnie stated in a healthier voice. They both stood and looked around at their resources. "Tyler…why are you here?"

Tyler who was unable to move from his spot on the floor responded. "I don't know…Stefan brought me here."

Bonnie frowned. "Stefan?" memories of Stefan coming in and dropping Tyler on the floor came back to her. "He's back on human blood…he has to be. We can't trust him."

"What do we do Bonnie?" Caroline asked worriedly.

The witch looked around. "Where's the grimoire?"

"Klaus took it." Caroline stated.

"Shit!" Bonnie cursed pacing the floor in frustration. "I need to see the spell I did. There must have been something that I missed…" she was angry at herself for not noticing all the details of the spell. Anything that happened to Elena was her fault. She didn't even know who she could get help from… "Wait…Care, help me set up the candles, I have an idea."

…


	31. Monster

A/N: Hey y'all! Thanks for your reviews and thanks for sticking around with me. I was reading back while writing this chapter, and I remember after chapter 10 saying that there would only be a couple chapters left….well 21 chapters later and I actually think it's almost over lol. I have an idea already of how things are going to end, and it will most likely be within the next 3-5 chapters. Thanks for reading please let me know what you think!

Chapter 31: Monster

Stefan chuckled deeply. "Well isn't that nifty." Klaus had just explained that Tatya was now occupying Elena's body and he found unusual humour in this new information. "Damon won't be too pleased, but it's about time he got what's coming to him. He had everything I wanted; Katherine, Elena…he deserves this." Stefan smirked leaning back in his chair at the diner twenty minutes away from the house.

Klaus didn't want to risk Elijah or anyone else hearing about Tatya or his alliance with the younger Salvatore. Damon was completely clueless and he wanted to keep it that way. "Good to know where your loyalty lies, Stefan. Now, I'll need you to distract him for a while. I have business to attend to that involves Tatya and I can't have Damon in the way." Klaus ordered in a rapid articulation of words.

Stefan nodded confidently. "No problem." He leaned forward staring at the Original intently. "You keep your end of the bargain…and I'll keep mine."

Klaus chuckled and stood gracefully, clapping him on the shoulder condescendingly. "You'll get what you want…as long as you don't screw it up." He strode out of the diner leaving Stefan behind.

…

Caroline stared down at the set up that she and Bonnie had created. "What are we doing Bonnie?" The two of them had spent the last twenty minutes setting the candles around in a circle while the witch chanted quietly in the middle.

Bonnie kept her eyes closed. "I'm contacting my Grams. She has more experience with magic, maybe she knows how to reverse whatever I did to Elena." She knew that she had gotten herself in a lot of trouble before when it came to doing spells and this would most likely anger her Grams. She had told her to stay out of it when vampires were involved, to not make a mess she could clean up…but this time Bonnie had no choice.

"You can do that?" Tyler mumbled in curious fascination. "What are you?"

"Quiet." Bonnie snapped lowly. "I need to concentrate." She held her hands out in front of her, palm up, as if waiting for someone to take them. She continued to utter words in Latin that made no sense to Caroline or Tyler. The candle flames shot up over four feet despite the wind that circled the room, and both instantly died down leaving the cellar quiet and dim. "Grams?" her eyes stayed closed as her mind was transported to her house in which she shared with her Grams.

"What is going on, Bonnie? The whole town's been going crazy looking for all of you." She questioned worriedly.

Bonnie didn't waste any time with explanations. "I need your help Grams…I did a spell-"

"What did I tell you about magic? It comes with consequences; Bonnie…you have to be careful. Where are you?"

"We're being held hostage by a vampire named Klaus. He forced me to do a spell to bring someone back from the dead. She was resurrected in Elena's body and now I need to fix it, what do I do?" Bonnie rattled off quickly.

"Klaus?" Sheila repeated worriedly. "Bonnie, he is dangerous you need to get out of there."

"We can't, we're locked in a cellar. I need to help Elena Grams…she could die if I don't." she added desperately.

"Do you have the grimoire you used to do the spell?"

"No Klaus took it."

Sheila closed her eyes in frustration. "You need that grimoire, Bonnie. Every witch has different spells, each volume is unique. Whoever owned that grimoire must have been very powerful to have practiced magic like that."

"How am I supposed to get to it, Grams?"

Bonnie saw her smile slightly. "You've done it before Bonnie…astral projection. The same spell you used to find out what Katherine's plan was. Take this." She let go of one of her hands to yank her necklace off her neck and place it back into Bonnie's hand. "Use this to connect to my power. It'll keep you grounded during the spell."

"Thank you. I'm so sorry…" Bonnie let a tear fall from her eye. She never meant to make her grandmother worry so much.

"It's alright. You don't need to worry about anything…I'm gonna get you out of there."

The connection broke and Bonnie was thrust back into the cellar still holding the necklace.

"So…?" Caroline questioned. It was odd only having heard one side of the conversation but the ghost of a smile on her friend's face told her that there was hope.

"I know what I have to do."

…

Stefan entered the mansion, putting on his usual brooding frown and searched for his brother. He held no sympathy for Damon or Elena anymore. He struggled for months to keep himself on track and it was so much easier to just succumb to the blood lust and accept Nic's offer.

He found Damon in the most obvious place; the downstairs parlor room, pouring himself a generous helping of 20 year old scotch. "Hello Brother." Damon greeted without turning around. "Thank for giving me the heads up you were here. I had to find out from that douche Maxim. Where have you been anyway?" In the time since Stefan's arrival, Damon had yet to see his brother. Elena had, if that was even Elena then, but not him.

Stefan sighed dramatically, raking a hand through his hair. "Klaus has me out looking for a werewolf. He needs one for the ritual." He gave his brother a false glance of apprehension.

"H's letting you out?" Damon inquired in disbelief before closing the distance between them. "Why aren't you running? Stefan, you need to get out of here." Damon didn't want to lose his brother after already losing Elena. _No…I haven't lost her._

"I can't Damon!" he exclaimed. "I tried, but he compelled me. I have to do whatever he wants me to do." Stefan set his brows in a deep frown.

Damon clenched his jaw. "Fuck." He tossed back the rest of his scotch. "This isn't good, Stef…this is not good."

"I know, but there's nothing I can do. Where's Elena?"

Damon huffed. "Sleeping. She's not feeling well." He didn't want to worry Stefan with the Tatya/Elena body switch problem. He'd been having a hard time himself, pretending she was Elena. In truth, Damon came downstairs to escape her.

Stefan nodded and placed a hand on Damon's shoulder. "Come on, grab a bottle…you need to relax; we both do I think. I found a clearing before the edge of the property while I was hunting yesterday." He thought it would be a good touch to mention knowing Damon couldn't resist a jab at his animal blood drinking ways.

Damon lazily grabbed a full bottle of whiskey. "Drinking? You don't have to tell me twice." He headed in the direction of the back door tossing words over his shoulder. "Do you ever worry that all the forest animals will band together and fight back? After all…they talk." He teased with a smirk.

Stefan followed after him with a smug grin. _Worked like a charm._ _Now I just need to get him drunk enough to not notice I'm distracting him._

…

Tatya sat on the bed she'd been sharing with Damon for the past two nights pretending to be Elena. She felt awful for it, but remembered that Damon didn't deserve her sympathy…not if his plan was to be rid of Nicklaus, in which case it made it worse; to have to share this bed with him.

Damon had left nearly half an hour ago when she told him she wasn't feeling well. Tatya claimed she just needed some sleep and not to worry about her. He reluctantly left after leaving a chaste kiss on her forehead and closed the door behind him. She barely contained her sigh of relief.

Now she read a book, one that Elena had packed with her: The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory. The story was enchanting and yet bewildering to her, having not lived through those times as Klaus had. How could a man knowingly put his wives on the scaffold and feel no remorse for it; and for a reason that he cannot prove?

"Tatya love, what causes the frown?" Klaus questioned from his stance in the doorway.

Her eyes darted up to his startled for a moment before placing a bookmark between the pages and closing it. "This story…it's tragic really, and quite terrifying. For a man to have such power as to take off is beloved's head for crime she could have very well been innocent of. It doesn't seem fair." She whispered in her accent, which she chose not to hide around Klaus, as she climbed out of bed and closed the distance between them.

Klaus chuckled and rested his chin on her head. "Oh trust me love…Anne deserved it. If it wasn't for sleeping with her own brother it would definitely be for treason. That whole family deserved what they got…except for Mary, she was a peach." He mused.

Tatya pulled away to gaze at him in surprise. "You knew them…the Boleyn's?"

"Unfortunately…Henry was right in offing her. The best thing that came from Anne was Elizabeth. The future Queen of England." He explained. _She was a peach too. Insatiable, that one._ He recounted to himself with an internal grin.

"I can't believe you would say that! The Nicklaus I knew would never wish harm on anyone."

His eyes hardened slightly. "Well a thousand years in this world as a vampire has changed that." He grabbed her hand. "Come on we need to go." He led her out of the room and down the stairs.

"Wait!" she whispered. "What about Damon? He can't know that I've left."

"I've taken care of that. His brother is distracting him." He led her down the hall on the main floor to a hidden door that led to the cellar. "We need to figure out why you still feel traces of Elena's presence, and I have just the witch." He guided her into the now dark room, lit by only a few candles. "Good afternoon ladies…and gentleman. I hope you've been keeping yourselves entertained."

"Elena?" Tyler mumbled looking up at her in awe.

Bonnie shook her head. "That's not Elena, Tyler. What the hell do you want Klaus?"

"Ooh…feisty." He cooed in surprise at her snappy response. "I want you to tell me why Elena's still fighting to get out. She should be dead." He explained bluntly.

Bonnie laughed dryly. "If you think I'm going to do anything else to help you you're wrong."

Klaus forced a smug grin to his face. "Well then I'll just kill you."

Bonnie shrugged. "Go ahead. Then I definitely won't be able to help you. You've done enough damage…I'm not going to let you cause anymore. Elena's strong…she's not going down without a fight, and neither will the rest of us."

Caroline nodded. "Damon will figure this all out, and when he does he's going to kill you."

"He can try…it might be fun to watch."

Tatya looked around the cellar with disbelief. "How long have you kept them here, Klaus?" When he didn't reply she glared at him. "Tell me!" she demanded.

"Four days." Caroline told her roughly, her voice nearly gone from dehydration and lack of nourishment.

"Four days!? Klaus what have these people done to offend you? What crime could they have committed to justify this kind of treatment?" Tatya started to head towards Tyler, to help him off the ground but Klaus grabbed her arm roughly. "You're hurting me."

"I did what I needed to get you back!" he exclaimed.

She shook her head disappointedly. "And this is how you treat the people who help you? You lock them in a dank cellar with no food or water and leave them for death? You're hardly the man your mother raised." She yelled back pulling her arm free and helping Tyler back to his feet with some trouble due to the compulsion.

Klaus was seething. "My mother was the one that killed you, Tatya!"

Her eyes softened as she let her eyes fall on him again. "I know…I agreed to it. I knew it would save you and I made that sacrifice for love. I never thought that you would turn into a monster."

Her words made him stagger back as if hit with a blow to the heart and ego. "Tatya…" he didn't know what else to say. The one person he wanted to prove himself to thought him a monster.

"Let them go, Nicklaus." She stated firmly with aggression.

"I can't." he whispered desperately.

Tatya steeled herself with a deep intake on breath. "Then all your efforts were for nothing. Goodbye." She stormed past him leaving the vampire stunned in is place.

…

Two hours later:

Stefan passed the near empty bottle back to Damon. "Here…you can finish it."

"Thanks Brother." Damon slurred sitting up from his position on the ground. "We both know you can't hold your drink anyway…alcohol or blood."

Stefan hid his smile by biting his lip. "Yeah, you're right about that." He sat up himself and clapped Damon on the back. "I'm glad we did this…I can't remember the last time we did some brotherly bonding."

Damon tipped the bottle to his lips and killed the remainder, then chucked the bottle to the side. "Been a long while. What brought this on anyway? You've been here two days and it took you this long to come find me?"

Stefan shrugged. "Klaus kept me busy…not like you came looking for me either. You knew I was here."

Damon scoffed. "I was busy worrying about Elena…you don't know how time consuming that is; she _loooves_ to put herself in life or death situations." He sighed. "We should have grabbed another bottle."

Stefan clenched his jaw tightly. "You're right Damon I wouldn't know; you kinda stole her right out from under my nose…twice." He grumbled referring to the past and present.

Damon shook his head baffled by his brother's words. "We're back here now? I thought we were over this. Elena made her choice, you understood…so what's the problem?"

"The problem, Damon, is that you got everything…and I was left with nothing. All that's about to change now brother." Damon watched as the sly smirk crawled over Stefan's face.

"This isn't brotherly bonding…this is you distracting me." Damon got to his feet and sped back to the house, trying to shake off the weight of the alcohol. He buzzed around looking for Elijah, or Elena-Tatya…but neither were anywhere to be found in the large mansion.

He threw things around his room in a rage. He was deceived by his own brother, his girlfriend was not in her own body, and his only ally was AWOL. Not to mention he had two friends held captive somewhere in the house.

He was fucked…and not in a good way.


	32. Family Isn't Always Perfect

Chapter 31: Family Isn't Always Perfect

"_The problem, Damon, is that you got everything…and I was left with nothing. All that's about to change now brother." Damon watched as the sly smirk crawled over Stefan's face._

"_This isn't brotherly bonding…this is you distracting me." Damon got to his feet and sped back to the house, trying to shake off the weight of the alcohol. He buzzed around looking for Elijah, or Elena-Tatya…but neither were anywhere to be found in the large mansion. _

_He threw things around his room in a rage. He was deceived by his own brother, his girlfriend was not in her own body, and his only ally was AWOL. Not to mention he had two friends held captive somewhere in the house. _

_He was fucked…and not in a good way._

An hour later:

Elijah entered the house warily, pulling off his jacket and wandering into the parlor room for a drink. He came up with nothing. He was unable to contact his father using any of his sources, and it was apparent that Mikael had fallen off the grid some time ago.

He became immediately aware that he wasn't alone. "Damon, it seems we have a little problem." He poured himself a glass, and another one for the man standing in the doorway behind him.

Damon stepped down the two stairs and stood beside him taking the offered drink and chugging it back indignantly before pinning him with a heated glare. "You're telling me. I've got a handful of them. First, my brother is teamed with Klaus and plotting against me, Klaus _and_ Tatya are MIA, and I owe you about fifteen grand for the bottle of Glenfiddich it took to get me drunk enough to be distracted." He admitted reluctantly. The scotch was definitely worth fifteen grand, but not worth losing his chance at getting Elena back.

Elijah blinked mildly displeased. "That was fifty year old scotch…"

"Sorry." Damon uttered emotionlessly. "What's your problem?"

Elijah sighed and clenched his jaw. "I was unable to connect with Mikael."

"Great!" Damon exclaimed with sarcastic enthusiasm. "Well, this couldn't be going better."

"You said Stefan is working with my brother…is he under his compulsion?"

Damon shrugged. "He said he was, but that was also while he was lying straight to my face. He's back on the human blood…again. Classic Ripper Stefan, I should have noticed." He admonished himself disappointedly.

"I'll take care of him and track down Klaus' whereabouts." Elijah straightened and grabbed his suit jacket.

"I've gotta find Bonnie. She can help us." He felt a bit selfish so saying that. She was probably in rough shape and so was Blondie.

After Elijah left, Damon found himself inspecting and tracing the walls with his fingertips. Lucky most of the house occupants were upstairs in their rooms or in the 'man cave' as they called it. Even vampire guys loved their video games.

He was at it for a good forty minutes before he found a catch in the wall hidden by intricate wallpaper. He pushed and the door moved back an inch and slid to the left on a track behind the wall. "Crafty." He mumbled to himself stepping over the barrier and shutting it back behind him with the handle on the inside.

He took the stone spiral staircase slowly hearing the low speaking words of what sounded like Maxim and Bonnie.

"Don't touch me." She said firmly.

Maxim's deep laugh reverberated through the space. "You're lucky Klaus doesn't want you dead yet…I'm sure you're delicious."

Damon stopped in front of the door separating him from them and knocked. He heard Maxim tell them not to move as he approached the door. When it opened he plastered on a smug smirk. "Klaus asked me to take over; he needs a word or two." When Maxim just eyed him warily Damon continued. "Maybe I'll just tell you for him." He swiftly pulled the stake from the back of his waistband and shoved it through his chest, thrusting it upwards. "You're fired." He let him fall to the ground before walking over him to get into the cellar. "My God, that felt good." He had wanted to kill Maxim since he _met_ him.

"Damon!" Caroline gasped, and seconds later Damon had his arms full of the blonde. "Thank you." She mumbled into his shirt before pulling away.

"Come on, I'm gonna get you guys out of here." His brow scrunched when he caught sight of Tyler. "Who's this?"

"Tyler." The introduced himself. "Stefan brought me here."

"They needed a werewolf for the ritual." Bonnie provided. She was relieved that they were finally discovered.

Damon scoffed. "Wow, Stefan's just _full _of lies today, isn't he?"

"He's working with Klaus." Caroline piped up.

"I know. Unfortunately we have bigger problems. Klaus took off with Tatya and we have no idea where they went." Damon tunneled is hand through his hair in frustration.

Bonnie nodded. "You know." She was worried he would be mad at her for what she did. Surely if he knew it involved magic it would have something to with her. It always had in the past and Damon had no problem rubbing her face in it before.

"Yeah, it was hard not to notice." He caught Bonnie's worried face and eased her mind. "It's okay, I'm not mad…this wasn't your fault. I'm sure Klaus had a way of convincing you to do it."

Bonnie sighed gratefully. "He was going to stake Caroline. I didn't know that it would affect Elena-"

"It's okay…just tell me there's a way to get her back." He cut her off desperately.

"There is… I need the grimoire the spell came from which is with Klaus but I can get to it." She promised confidently.

"Good." Damon mumbled distractedly. He was worried that Klaus might have taken Elena out of Mississippi by now. The worse thoughts popped in his head.

Caroline noticed. "We'll get her back Damon."

"It's been three hours. God, I'm so stupid! I should have known what Stefan is up to." He kicked Maxim's body in barely contained rage.

Caroline took a cautious step forward. "You couldn't have…he's pretty convincing." She mumbled recalling how normal he seemed towards her before he killed her.

"He's my brother, I've seen him go through this…many times." He got silent for a moment. "I needed to get away from her; Tatya, and I…" he trailed off dejectedly. "She wasn't Elena. This is my fault." He realized that this was the first time he ever admitted fault to anything…ever. He could never own up to anything; not even in his father's home, mind you the fault would be put on him anyway. Damon was used to putting the blame on everyone other than himself.

Even Bonnie seemed shocked by this statement. "What?"

"Why are we still down here, it smells like death." He changed the subject quickly to avoid any further inspection of his statement. As he was leaving, his eye caught sight of the coffin. "Oh…well that would explain it."

The others followed him out, cautiously; as Damon made sure there were no voices outside the hidden doorway. "Blondie, when I open this door I want you to take wolf boy and run for the hills, do you hear me? _Run; _get as far as you can and don't stop for anything. Got it?"

Caroline nodded, silently preparing herself.

"Bonnie-"

"I'm going with you." She said firmly. When Damon glanced at her in surprise at her eagerness, she shrugged. "You might need me."

"Okay, witchy...you're with me." He opened the door and Caroline zipped past him with Tyler in tow and right out the front door. He grabbed Bonnie and followed suit but only got four feet away from the door before a hand on his throat pinned him to the closest wall. "Bonnie run." He gurgled painfully.

Klaus smiled. "No…let her stay." He kept his eyes trained evilly on Damon. "Stefan."

The younger Salvatore didn't waste any time capturing Bonnie in his grasp, but she quickly brought him to him knees in agony.

"No worry, I have more. You however, only have one brother." He taunted.

Damon struggled but played into Klaus' insult. "Speaking of brothers…where's yours? Haven't seen him in a while." He added nonchalantly like they were talking over a cup of coffee…not with his enemy's hand gripping his throat.

"Lying with my other brothers; safely daggered and tucked away for a rainy day. I'll pull it out in another hundred years once he learns not to plot behind my back." He briefly considered Tatya's last words before she left this house, before pushing them out of his mind. "Speaking of plotting behind my back…you've been busy."

"Little bit. Hey, maybe you can let me down now." Damon suggested hopefully.

Klaus nodded. "Sure…boys!" He hollered up the stairs. It didn't take long for at least thirteen vampires to come downstairs, all business with the use of Klaus' compulsion. He dropped Damon, and looked at Bonnie. "I don't think you can hold them all down…can you?"

Bonnie worriedly glanced around as the vampires closed in on them.

Only seconds later the two front doors burst open slamming against the walls resoundingly. On the porch steps were five angry witches combining their powers to bring all the vampires down. They dropped like flies, and Klaus' having been slightly overpowered, clutched his head but stayed standing.

They heard the sound of heavy boots hitting the wooden porch before seeing the figure that slipped passed the witches to enter the house. Klaus didn't notice until he was in front of him due to the aching in his brain. "Nothing changes…boy. Still a fool." The rough timbre of his voice is what caught Klaus' attention.

"Father?"

…

Caroline got to the end of the driveway and out of sight of the house when she looked back. "Where are they?"

Tyler, who was disoriented by the sudden change in scenery, looked around confused. "What?"

"Bonnie and Damon; I don't see them." She exclaimed worriedly. "We have to go back."

Tyler grabbed her arm to stop her journey back. "We can't Care…we have to keep moving, Damon told us not to stop…for anything." He urged.

"They're my friends Ty! I'm not just going to leave them there!" She gave him a look of determined resolve and pulled free.

"We could die!"

Caroline threw her arms in the air. "Well then I'll die! At least I would know it was protecting the people I care about. You know Tyler…you just-you just don't get it. Friends aren't the people who we hang out with at lunch, or who we invite to parties or add on Facebook! It's the people that make sacrifices; the people that save you, the people that have your back, that teach you how to fight and feed and be a vampire so you can just _survive_." She ranted in recollection of how Elena, Bonnie and Damon have all been the truest friends she'd ever have. "It's not always perfect, but it's family. I'm going back for them…come with me or don't." she spun on her heel and sped back to the house leaving Tyler standing there speechless.

…

Damon raised his eyebrows in pleasant surprise. "Oh, this is an interesting turn of events." He pulled himself together.

Bonnie still seemed to be in shock starring at the five witches. "Grams?" she cast a glance at the others. "How did you find us…and so fast?"

Lucy gave a side smirk, still focusing to keep the vampires down. "Simple locator spell and teleporting, cuz. It's the cool, new thing. Plus I've been keeping my eye on this one." She nudged a writhing Stefan with the toe of her boot. Ever since she ran into him in Louisiana she had a bad feeling, one that she couldn't ignore.

Mikael's strong voice interrupted the room. "Where is this girl?" Klaus just stared at him in fear. "Where is she?!" he bellowed.

Klaus risked a glance to the stairs to the right of them, and Damon didn't waste any time getting up there. He quickly checked the rooms and Tatya was bound and tied to the chair in the middle of Klaus'. Damon pulled the gag off her and stared at her cautiously.

"Please help me…I tried-I tried to get away but he found me and then he killed Elijah, please Damon!" she begged her accent pouring out of her thickly through her tears.

…

Caroline sped to the front door and stopped suddenly at the scene before her. Most of the vampires were passed out from pain, only a couple others, the older ones, moaned as they fought the witches' assault. "Ok, totally not what I was expecting." She looked to Bonnie for answers. "You okay?"

"Yeah…we're good. Damon's upstairs."

Mikael closed in further on Klaus. "You are pathetic…this is what you make of yourself?" he gestured around to the vampires on the floor. "Too much of a coward to fight your own battles, too weak to love, so selfish as to stab your family in their backs and lock them in a coffin." His father taunted. "Perhaps you should know what it feels like."

Klaus shook his head in terror, still a little boy when it came to the discipline of his father. "No, no please…"

Mikael pulled the dagger from out of his coat pocket and thrust it into his son's chest, watching with no remorse as he became lifeless before him, crumbling to the floor in a stiff heap. He turned back to Sheila and nodded. "It must never be removed. He should lay with the others." He closed the distance between himself and the female witch Bonnie didn't recognize. "Thank you for freeing me to do what needed to be done." He broke a wooden leg off the table by the entrance and moved around staking the unconscious vampires.

Bonnie and Caroline watched uneasily until he got to Stefan who was still slightly coherent. "No!" Bonnie stopped him. "He's Damon's brother. We can deal with him."

"You're protecting him." His hard eyes fell on Caroline with an ugly sneer of disgust. "Why would you protect them?" he aimed at Bonnie.

"They're good. They're my friends."

"There's nothing good about vampires, you daft fool. Deal with it as you wish." He walked passed them and out the front door.

…

"I need her back Tatya…I need Elena back. You shouldn't be here." He told her his voice void of emotion.

She nodded in understanding. "Everything is wrong. Nothing is the way it was, Nicklaus is not who he was…Elijah is gone." She cried fresh tears again. "I have no need to be here. I made a sacrifice; for love, to protect Klaus, because I believed he deserved more…that he was more of a man then his father thought he was." She sniffled. "But I was wrong."

"Bonnie's going to reverse the spell and send you back." He couldn't let himself feel bad for her. None of this was her fault. She never asked to come back, she never knew what she was getting herself into…but she had the one thing that belonged to him; Elena.

"I know. I'm sorry for my part." And it was then he saw a similarity between the two doppelgangers.

…

Bonnie watched as her family friends, Jonas and Luka spoke with Grams and noticed the other woman stand near her. "I'm sorry I don't think we've met. I'm Bonnie."

The woman smiled kindly. "I know…"

Bonnie tried to hide her curiousness as to why the other witch didn't introduce herself. "Are you friends with my Grams?"

She tilted her head and regarded her silently in awe. "I thought of all the ways I would someday meet you…I never thought it would be like this." She gestured around her with a nervous laugh. "Or that I would be this happy. I'm your mother, Bonnie."

Author's Note: Thank you to those that reviewed, and Charliee who has been reviewing every single chapter from beginning to end, my inbox was full of reviews and it was awesome so thank you and driver picks the music, thank you for your reviews as always!

I hope you're still following and liking where I'm taking this story. It's almost done, but I've got a few more stories that I'm working on to start posting for you! Love you my lovelies!


	33. Fight My Way Out

Chapter 33: Fight My Way Out

_Bonnie watched as her family friends, Jonas and Luka spoke with Grams and noticed the other woman stand near her. "I'm sorry I don't think we've met. I'm Bonnie." _

_The woman smiled kindly. "I know…"_

_Bonnie tried to hide her curiousness as to why the other witch didn't introduce herself. "Are you friends with my Grams?"_

_She tilted her head and regarded her silently in awe. "I thought of all the ways I would someday meet you…I never thought it would be like this." She gestured around her with a nervous laugh. "Or that I would be this happy. I'm your mother, Bonnie."_

"What?" The youngest Bennett reeled back in incredulity. She barely remembered her mother; she was so young when she left.

Abby nodded. "I understand that this may be a shock." She started to explain.

Bonnie stepped back. "No you don't. I-I need a moment." She walked away stunned avoiding her Gram's curious stare after her. Bonnie needed more than a moment; she needed hours to process this, but it would have to wait.

She never expected she'd see her mother again and yet here she was showing up randomly without notice. Pushing her thoughts down to focus on bigger issues, Bonnie climbed the stairs quickly to put some distance between herself and her mother and entered the door she heard voices coming from. Caroline darted up the stairs after her.

Damon was dropping the ropes that bound Tatya to the ground around the chair, and although she was free, Tatya chose to stay seated in the chair, probably to hide her shaking. Damon could smell the fear emitting off her, and felt the need to reassure her. "It's okay…Klaus isn't going to hurt you anymore."

Bonnie smiled. "No he won't. He's dead. Mikael killed him."

Tatya seemed miserable and relieved at the same time. "It's for the best I suppose." She whispered quietly as if saying it too loud would make it truer.

"It is." Damon reassured her gently. "Nothing of what Klaus did or planned benefitted anyone but himself."

"He was going to kill us." Caroline added gently.

Tatya locks eyes on Bonnie. "I am to believe you are the one to send me back to my body?" At the witch's nod she continued. "This is not my place…she's fighting me. She has a lot to fight for." She managed a smile as she took in the three people that risked their lives for her doppelganger.

Caroline's head snapped to stare at her and so did Damon's. "What? Elena's…you can feel her fighting you?" he was baffled. Although he believed she could be saved but he didn't think she would be _in_ there until Tatya got out.

"Yes. Her screams echo in my soul." She fell silent as she stared at the floor. She couldn't describe the feeling; it was as if her heart clenched every time Elena's grief became her own. It wasn't painful in any physical way…the pain was all emotional.

"We'll fix it." Bonnie piped up after a stretched silence. Damon was horrified. His blue eyes wide and disturbed and his jaw clenched and twitched. "I promise."

…

Damon was pacing the floor in anticipation. Bonnie had taken Tatya back down into the cellar where her coffin was and he waited anxiously just outside the hidden doorway with Caroline sitting against the wall with her legs out in front of her, crossed at the ankles.

"Please stop…everything is going to be fine, and you're making me dizzy." She claimed flipping her blonde locks out of her face. She was anxious too, but to be strong for Damon, she couldn't show it. "Bonnie can do this Damon…we'll get Elena back."

He finally stopped his pace and stood firmly clenching his fists at his sides. "I know…I just, she was in there, this whole time…she knew what was going on. She couldn't do anything…God what if Klaus-"

Caroline put her hand up. "Stop. You don't want to go there."

Damon grunted in frustration and sat down beside her against the wall. "Hurry up Bonnie!" he called down.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Don't rush her…she's got enough on her plate as it is." She turned towards him and went into gossip mode, lowering her voice. "The witches that came here to help us; one of them was her mom."

Damon frowned. The house was now empty except for the two downstairs and them. Stefan had fled at his first chance, the witches had enclosed Klaus in his coffin with his brothers and sister, and the rest of the vampires lay scattered by the front door. "Why are we whispering?" he mocked in a conspiring murmur.

"I don't know." She retorted hitting his shoulder in defense. "Anyways, she totally just dropped it on Bonnie without any warning." Caroline crossed her arms. "She's gone for all of Bonnie's life with no explanation and shows up out of nowhere and say's 'Hey, guess what, I'm your mom', like everything is totally fine!"

Damon smiled despite himself. He admired how loyal Caroline was to her friends. "Seems it's got your panties in a twist."

The blonde scoffed. "Well yeah! I've been there when Bonnie's tried looking for her mom, when she got mad and flipped her room upside down because she could never find her, when she cried because she thought her mom didn't love her…so yeah my panties are in a twist." She huffed in conclusion.

"She's lucky to have people like you and Elena that are there for her." His smiled twisted into a bitter one. "Not everyone is that fortunate."

Caroline put her hand on his in a comforting gesture. She knew he was talking about himself. Damon had a good heart…he'd been so selfless and loving when it came to Elena and he'd done right by her friends too. "We're your friends too Damon. Look I know I haven't really told you, mostly because we're always fighting for our lives," she chuckled. "But thank you."

Damon's brows furrowed, baffled by her statement. "What for?"

"I wouldn't have been a very good vampire. I'm neurotic and emotional and at times tactless," She smirked when Damon nodded with a knowing smile, "but you helped me. Trained me, showed me how to feed with control and defend myself…I'm more confident now than I ever was."

Damon let himself feel relief at her words. "Happy to help."

Seconds later they both heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Damon was on his feet in an instant waiting for Elena to appear at the top. When she did, he wasted no time in engulfing her in his arms. "Elena?" he pulled away looking into her eyes to make sure.

She stared back at him, shaken, but nodded, biting her lips. Her eyes shifted and she pulled away to walk past him to Caroline. "I tried to get her to let you go." She exclaimed, her voice rough with tears.

Caroline nodded and pulled her into a hug, which she noticed was weak. "Are you okay?"

Elena only nodded again and pulled away starting to walk to the door, avoiding the dead vampires around her.

Damon looked at Bonnie with concern. "What's going on?"

Bonnie sighed. "The spell was pretty strong; it took a lot out of her." She assured. "She'll be okay in an hour. Take Elena home…Caroline and I will follow you."

Damon raised a brow. "You know…Klaus has a fantastic collection of cars. I don't think he'll need them, lying dead in a coffin and all."

"Lead the way."

…

Damon had picked a gun metal grey Aston Martin one-77 and peeled out with Elena in the passenger seat, eager to get her home.

Bonnie hopped into a white AudiR8 and familiarized herself with the vehicle before leaving. Caroline took this opportunity. "So, what's really going on Bonnie?"

The witch closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "She remembers everything." Caroline raised her brows waiting for her to elaborate. "Klaus and Tatya didn't waste any time reuniting." She stated gently.

The blonde's jaw dropped in shock and sympathy for both Elena and Damon. "No…Damon thought-"

Bonnie shook her head fiercely. "You cannot tell Damon. Elena didn't want him to know, he'd lose it."

"What?! Bon, he deserves to know…it's not like he can go _kill_ Klaus he's already dead!" she exclaimed defending her other friend's right.

Bonnie nodded patiently. "Exactly. So instead he'll take it out on everyone else. She's worried it'll break him."

Caroline shook her head. "No, he's not like that anymore."

"Don't tell him…if he's going to find out, it should be Elena telling him."

…

It was dark by the time they got home, Damon and Elena nearly an hour ahead in the Aston. When Elena noticed Damon turn in the direction of the Boarding house, she spoke up, as she had only a few times in the long drive. "Can we go to my place…I should see Jenna and Jeremy."

Damon nodded. "Yeah." He made another turn to send them back in the direction of her place. He was doing his best to make her comfortable and not ask too many questions, but was feeling like something was wrong. "Is everything okay, Elena…I feel like you're not here with me."

She finally stared at him with a straight face with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I'm here, Damon." She placed her hand over his and left it on the knee, ignoring the discomfort she felt. "I'm just…very tired."

Damon was only mildly comforted by her explanation. The drive to her house was short but the silence stretched. When they pulled into the driveway, both of them got out, and walked up the front steps.

Elena unlocked the door and turned to Damon. "Thank you." She leaned in and placed a kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you later."

The disappointment on Damon's face was apparent, but he quickly concealed it and nodded. "Sure." He felt it had been so long since he'd been with her, and now that they could be she was putting distance between them.

She gave him a hesitant smile and closed the door behind her.


	34. Falling Off The Rails

Chapter 34: Falling Off The Rails

Bonnie was tired. She finally made it back to Mystic Falls, dropping Caroline off on her way home and wanted nothing more than to shower and crawl into bed.

What greeted her on the other side of her front door made it difficult to do either. Abby stood from the couch in the living room and smoothed her pants down nervously. "Hi Bonnie."

"What are you doing here?" She dropped her purse to the ground and walked passed her into the kitchen for a glass of water, but mostly just to avoid the awkward stare of her estranged mother.

Instead Abby just followed her. "I thought we could talk."

Bonnie rounded on her. "About what; about how you left me? That's the last thing I want to do right now."

Abby wrung her hands. "I know this was unexpected-"

"Do you have any idea what I've been through recently? My friends were kidnapped, I was taken hostage, tortured, forced to do a spell, and watched my friends get tortured because I refused. I _do not_ need to deal with excuses from my estranged mother. I need a shower and my bed." She stormed passed her and up the stairs.

"Bonnie…" but her only response was a slamming door.

…

The next morning greeted Damon with a sense of foreboding. Something didn't feel right. He jolted out of bed, only wearing the jeans from the night before and sped down the stairs to the living room. He looked around cautiously, his eyes following the speeding blur around the room.

"I'm surprised you came back." He called out. "What makes you think I won't kill you?" he threatened.

The blur materialized at the top of the three stairs that separated the living room from the hall. "Because I'm your brother and as much as you may hate me…you can't kill me." Stefan stated with a smug grin.

Damon narrowed his eyes and slowly sauntered up to him. Even standing two steps below him, Damon was still more intimidating. "You underestimate me, _brother_. I _can_. I chose not to because it's so much more amusing…" he stepped up a stair putting him face to face with Stefan. "to make your life _miserable_ and watch you _suffer_." He uttered slowly and menacingly.

Stefan laughed, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't think that's possible at this point. Klaus helped me turn it off. Caring about you or Elena…I'm over it." His brows furrowed in false concern. "I'm wondering what you're doing here though…after everything Elena went through I'd think you'd want to be with her."

Damon hid his surprise at the question. "She's with her family."

Stefan's brows rose. "Oh! So she's not avoiding you…she's handling this better than I thought." He mused to himself.

Damon rolled his eyes, indulging in this little game his brother was playing. "And why would she be avoiding me?"

A sly smirk crawled over Stefan's lips. "You don't know? She didn't tell you? Oh this is interesting."

"What are you getting at Stef…I don't have time for your bullshit."

Stefan's eyes pierced into Damon's. "When Elena was Tatya…Klaus fulfilled his 'needs'…several times." He laughed. "And she remembers all of it."

Damon's heart dropped. He didn't waste any time in pinning Stefan against the far wall; he broke a leg off the wooden table and rammed it into Stefan's stomach. "Don't fuck around Stefan." He whispered in his ear. "Or next time I won't miss."

He left him there, pinned to the wall, sputtering and struggling for freedom. Damon raced up the stairs, threw on a shirt and shoes, grabbed his keys and headed to Elena's.

…

She had been up for hours, but getting out of her bed was not something she planned on doing. She felt wrong. She remembered everything that Tatya did as if she was in the driver's seat but had no control of the wheel.

She faintly heard the doorbell ring and her aunt answering the door. There was a quick exchange of words before Jenna called up to her. She didn't move.

"_I think she's still sleeping."_

_Thanks Jenna._ She said silently in her head. The door closed and she closed her eyes in relief. She didn't want to deal with anyone right now.

"Faker." Damon's voice called out from her window sill. He sat with his elbows resting on his knees, and fingers laced together.

Elena jolted up in surprise, cursing herself for not knowing better. "I'm exhausted, Damon. I told Jenna I just needed some rest." It was clear on her face she was tired. There were dark circles ringing her dull eyes, and her skin was paler than her usual olive glow.

He slowly stood with a concerned look, and crossed the floor to sit on the edge of her bed, facing her. He clenched his jaw apprehensively as he reached out a hand to touch her cheek. He was worried about her reaction, because it would either confirm or deny what Stefan had told him earlier. When she reeled away and tucked her hair behind her ear, a nervous habit of Elena's, he knew. She flung the blankets off her legs and got off the bed and walked to her vanity, where she busied herself with tying her hair up into a messy bun.

Staying where he was, Damon tightened his jaw painfully, and bowed his head. "Is it true, Elena?" he mumbled lowly.

She gulped, keeping her eyes averted from his form in the mirror. "Is what true?" the tremor in her voice betrayed the innocence in the question.

When she looked up Damon was standing behind her, his eyes catching hers in a penetrating stare. "Did Klaus…" he couldn't even say the words.

Elena turned around and her dull brown eyes drooped. "Yes…did Bonnie tell you?" her voice was so mousy and quiet that he barely picked up on it.

"No Stefan told me, in a completely infuriating way. Wait, Bonnie knows?" He asked slightly wounded that she could tell Bonnie, but not him.

"I didn't tell Bonnie. When she did the spell it all came in flashes. I told her I didn't want anyone to know." She moved around him to avoid his proximity.

Damon rounded, staring at her back and pointed to himself. "Even me?"

"Especially you!" She was suddenly emotional, turning back to him with tears welling in her eyes. "Why would I want you to know that; so that you can be weird around me and treat me differently?"

"I wouldn't treat you any differently." He defended instantly. He sighed and clenched his fist in fury trying hard not to expel his rage. He had hoped that Stefan was lying to get under his skin. He found a picture of Stefan and Elena framed on her vanity with other pictures of her and her friends and his temper snapped.

Snatching the frame he smashed it against the far wall away from Elena. She jumped in shock. "Damon!" she lifted her hands up. "Calm down…please."

"He's _had _you, _Elena_! I wish he was still alive so I could _kill _him!"

She cautiously stepped towards him as one would a cornered animal. "This is why I didn't want to tell you…I was afraid you'd-"

Damon's eyed darkened. "Afraid I'd what, Elena? Fall of the rails? Go on a murderous killing spree? What?" he taunted as he closed in in her.

But she stood her ground. "Why are you getting mad at me? I'm not the one you're mad at so don't take it out on me!"

At her words, he visibly deflated. "I'm not mad at you…It's just-" he grunted in frustration. "I hate this! This shouldn't have happened, I should have stopped it." He ranted.

She grabbed his hands in hers, and closed the distance between them. "Damon, don't do that. There's nothing you could have done, okay."

"Yes-" he tried to argue.

"No. This is _not_ your fault." She gave him a hesitant smile. "We're going to be okay. I promise." Her voice was more convincing than she felt.

Damon looked apprehensive. "Are we?" he pulled one hand away and stroked a thumb over her cheek. He was happy when she didn't recoil.

"Yes. We are not going to let this get between us."

He heard her, and he wanted to believe her, but he wasn't sure. To avoid the uneasy feeling, Damon pulled away and walked to the window. "We can't trust Stefan, Elena."

She frowned and crossed her arms, staring at his back, tense with his frustration. "What? Why, what happened?"

He looked at her over his shoulder with eyes as tired as hers. "I don't think it's me you have to worry about falling off the rails." Damon had his moments hitting the off switch and making Stefan miserable; mostly because he felt that Stefan deserved it at the time, but he was always in control of turning his emotions back on. Stefan wasn't.

"Again?" Her face mostly just showed the concern and worry she felt. This was the second time in a year Stefan had turned off his humanity, and it didn't end well last time. "Wait if Klaus compelled him to turn it off, and Klaus is dead then-"

Damon turned back to her and shook his head. "Klaus didn't compel him to turn it off. I saw him Stefan this morning, and let's just say he was uncharacteristically detached…unhinged." He added as an afterthought.

Elena plopped back on her bed running her hands over her face. "Is there ever going to be a day where I wake up and everything is okay; there are no hell bent hybrids, or psycho doppelgangers, or ripper brothers to worry about tearing this town apart."

Damon crouched down to her level. "We brought him back last time." He tried to reassure her.

She huffed out a bitter laugh. "Yeah and it took killing Katherine to break through to him."

"I'll deal with Stefan."

"How?" She knew Damon wouldn't kill his own brother, but she was worried what extent he would go to.

He rolled his eyes. "I don't know yet…but I'll figure it out. This isn't something I want you to worry about."

Elena smiled. "That's like telling Caroline not to plan for her birthday. Next to impossible." She could sense Damon's worry for her and conceded. "Okay…no worrying, I promise."

Damon smiled back, and then his face quickly changed to one of disappointment. "Jenna's coming…I gotta go." He kissed her forehead and was gone in a breeze out the window.

Her door opened seconds later. "Hey…" Jenna poked her head in with a cheery smile. "I made breakfast. Actually Jeremy made breakfast and I watched."

She smiled at her aunt. "Yeah I'll be right down."

Elena was going to absorb any normal family time she could, because she knew it wouldn't last forever.


End file.
